Global Markets
Home›Global Markets›Asia›Focus on impact investing as only 18% of UN SDGs seem…
Focus on impact investing as only 18% of UN SDGs seem achievable
The article argues progress has lagged due to insufficient funding, weak political will, and impact that has not scaled enough to meet the 2030 deadline.
A commentary in the South China Morning Post urges a scaling up of impact investing tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, saying progress remains weak and financing and political will have not matched the task.
The piece cites that, more than 10 years after the UN set its 17 SDGs in 2015, only 18.0% of the goals appear achievable by 2030, attributing the shortfall to inadequate impact, not enough money, and a lack of political will, according to the author Andrew Sheng.
Sheng argues that funders and policymakers should prioritize specific environmental and social problems, prove results, then expand, pointing to major ecosystem regions such as the Amazon, Borneo, and the Hindu Kush Himalaya as potential “frontiers” for climate stability, biodiversity, and survival.
The article warns that risks including deforestation, peat destruction, glacial melt, and uncoordinated development could push vulnerable regions toward irreversible tipping points, noting these areas collectively support at least one quarter of known species and help secure water, food, and energy for billions of people.