Geographic SDG spillovers

The document presents the 'geographic spillovers' feature of the SDG Synergies tool, designed to analyze how Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) interactions operate across different geographic scales. A pilot exercise in Monterrey, Mexico, focused on the Nuevo Leon State Climate Change Program (PECC), found strong synergies and no trade-offs between state-level objectives and metropolitan-level actions, particularly in water management, disaster risk reduction, and renewable energy. The authors recommend using this tool to enhance vertical policy coherence and suggest that identifying these interactions should be followed by an assessment of the coordination mechanisms that operationalize them.

• The SDG Synergies tool has been updated with a geographic spillovers feature that allows for cross-impact analysis between SDG targets across up to three different geographic scales, identifying how progress or obstacles in one territory can influence outcomes in another.
• In a pilot study in the Monterrey Metropolitan Zone (MMZ) and the State of Nuevo Leon, the most impactful SDG targets within the state-level scale were regional planning (SDG 11.a) and water management and efficiency (SDG 6.5).
• Within the MMZ scale, the most influential actions for implementing the PECC were identified as innovation and sustainable industry (SDG 9.4), low-emissions urban transport (SDG 11.2), and urban solid waste management (SDG 11.6).
• The pilot exercise found a high level of coherence between the climate objectives of Nuevo Leon and the MMZ, characterized by strong synergies and a complete absence of trade-offs between state-scale objectives and the PECC.
• The authors argue that identifying cross-scale synergies is insufficient on its own; governments must also analyze and develop policy coordination mechanisms to ensure these synergies are realized and to prevent institutional conflicts.

APA

Hérnandez-Orozco, E., & Maestre, D. (2026). Geographic SDG spillovers. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/geographic-sdg-spillovers-policies-monterrey.pdf

Chicago

Hérnandez-Orozco, Efraim, and Daniela Maestre. Geographic SDG spillovers. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2026. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/geographic-sdg-spillovers-policies-monterrey.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hérnandez-Orozco |first1=Efraim |last2=Maestre |first2=Daniela |title=Geographic SDG spillovers |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/geographic-sdg-spillovers-policies-monterrey.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hrnandezorozco2026geographic, author = {Hérnandez-Orozco, Efraim and Maestre, Daniela}, title = {{Geographic SDG spillovers}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/geographic-sdg-spillovers-policies-monterrey.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }