Sustainable Development Impact
See the first SDG X for space exploration.
SDG 2
Why
The right to food is a fundamental human right, and everyone has the right to have adequate nutrition and a healthy life. Hunger and malnutrition not only deprive people of their basic right to exist but also leads to serious health problems, especially for children and vulnerable groups. Achieving zero hunger is a fundamental measure to ensure that all humans can enjoy a basic quality of life. However, by 2022, about 735 million people (9.2% of the world's population) were in a state of chronic hunger, 2.4 billion people faced moderate to severe food insecurity, 148 million children were stunted, and 45 million children under the age of 5 were wasted1.
Although the consumption of ultra-processed foods in suburban and rural areas is increasing, food insecurity has a greater impact on rural residents. The productivity of rural farmers is often limited by many factors, thus falling into a vicious cycle: malnutrition and hunger lead to low productivity, which in turn exacerbates poverty, further intensifying hunger and malnutrition. Improving productivity is a key measure to solve the food problem2.
We decided to focus on 2.3 doubling agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, especially women, indigenous peoples, farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, by 2030, including ensuring equal access to land, other productive resources, and elements, knowledge, financial services, markets, and value-added and non-farm employment opportunities. 2.4 By 2030, ensure the establishment of sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices to improve productivity and output, help maintain ecosystems, strengthen adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, floods, and other disasters, and gradually improve land and soil quality.
How We Did It
We visited the Changshu Institute of Agricultural Science in China for research, where we saw a form of future agriculture. In this park, the flower greenhouse has an advanced temperature-controlled cultivation system that can adjust the temperature and irrigation in time to achieve annual plant production, making the park more adaptable to extreme weather, drought, climate change, and other disasters. The application of technology in agricultural production can improve production efficiency to help agriculture increase production, produce more food, and the organic vegetables and economic crops (flowers) produced can bring higher income to farmers, thus breaking the vicious cycle of poverty-hunger-low productivity.
At the same time, we went to a rural area in Jiangsu, China - Xiaoji Town, for research. Agricultural production here is more common and has lower productivity (compared to Changshu). Agricultural production here faces problems such as crop continuous cropping obstacles, soil fertility decline, and dependence on chemical fertilizers. We proposed a solution based on stable engineered bacteria, which can reconstruct and inhibit the production of pathogens in the soil. It is expected to improve the productivity of farmland, enabling farmers to promote long-term soil quality and increase the sustainable development of agriculture without relying on high-cost methods such as chemical drugs and high-temperature disinfection. In addition, our project can recycle phosphorus in biogas digesters and generate electricity, with each cubic meter of biogas digester providing farmers with about 500 yuan of benefits per year.
SDG 3
Why
Pursuing physical health is one of the core goals of human life. A good state of health can not only improve the quality of life but also promote the comprehensive development of individuals, families, society, and the economy. Air pollution, chemical exposure, and water pollution can lead to diseases in humans, causing great pain to individuals and families. Reducing these sources of pollution can effectively protect people's health and ensure that everyone can enjoy a clean and safe living environment. We focus on 3.9 significantly reducing the number of deaths and diseases caused by highly hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution.
How We Did It
At the Changshu Ecological Agricultural Research Institute, we saw a leafy green plant factory suitable for operation on heavy metal polluted land. In the leafy green plant factory, instead of using soil, substrate blocks are used for planting and cultivation, which are not affected by polluted soil, and three-dimensional planting is used to improve production efficiency. In terms of pest control, another greenhouse mainly uses yellow sticky boards for physical control to achieve completely pesticide-free requirements.
This inspires us: we can prevent pollution and improve agricultural production efficiency in more diverse ways; we can also use physical control methods to solve related problems and reduce the impact of pollutants on the environment as much as possible.
SDG 4
Why
Education is a powerful tool to eliminate poverty and reduce social inequality, and it is key to achieving many other SDGs. People who are educated are more likely to get rid of poverty and hunger. Education helps to reduce inequality and achieve gender equality, narrow the gap in regional development, and helps to build a more peaceful society.
However, if no additional measures are taken, by 2030, it is estimated that 84 million children and adolescents will be out of school, and about 300 million students will lack the basic computational and literacy skills needed to live successfully3. In addition, there is a serious regional inequality in education. For example, it takes 15-year-old Brazilian students 75 years to reach the average math score of richer countries, and more than 260 years for reading4. In China, regional inequality in education is also very significant, and educational achievements depend on the educational environment5.
How We Did It
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This year, a high school student from Shuangbai No.1 High School in Yunnan applied for the Life Science Qiangji Plan of Nanjing University. The principal of Shuangbai No.1 High School contacted the Nanjing-China team through the Postgraduate Volunteer Teaching Group of Nanjing University, hoping to find students within the team who had previously participated in the Qiangji Plan exam of Nanjing University to provide targeted exam tutoring for students from Shuangbai No.1 High School.
Members of the HP group invited Zhang Muyuan, the team leader of the Nanjing-China Dry Lab, to exchange with students from No. 1 Middle School in Shuangbai. Accompanied by the mothers of students from No. 1 Middle School in Shuangbai, teachers, and the principal, Zhang Muyuan gave a detailed explanation of the exam questions from previous years for students from Shuangbai and shared his exam experience, and also emphasized the admission policies of the Qiangji Plan.
Compared to periodic teaching activities, "snow-sending charcoal" one-on-one help is equally important. We hope our work can enable more students from less developed areas to enter first-class universities, go out of the mountains, and contribute to the basic construction of science and technology in our country.
SDG 5
Why
Women make up half of the world's population, and therefore also half of the world's potential. Gender equality is not only a basic human right but also an important link to give full play to human potential, promote sustainable development, and ultimately achieve a peaceful society6. In addition, empowering women also has a promoting effect on productivity improvement and economic growth. As of 2024, only 26.8% of the members of parliament in all countries in the world are women, a proportion that has only slightly increased from 11.3% in 19957. In 2024, the proportion of women in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workforce is only 28.2% 8. The 2024 Gender Gap Report pointed out that it will take another 20 years to achieve equality in educational achievements, 169 years for political empowerment, and 152 years for economic equality. In combination with our team's situation, we decided to focus on 5.1 eliminating discrimination against women and girls and 5.8 promoting women's empowerment through technology.
How We Did It
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Gender equality is a topic for all of humanity and requires the joint efforts of all of humanity to complete this unfinished business of our era. We hope to reduce inequality in education, economy, and politics. Our action goal is to encourage more women to engage in scientific careers and promote women's employment, enabling more women to have decent work.
Our team has 11 out of 19 members who are women, among whom 10 are pursuing STEM degrees and 1 is pursuing a business degree. We believe that the first step in pursuing gender equality is to lead by example and demonstrate that women belong in these fields. We hope to promote women's right to education and reduce prejudice through our own examples as much as possible.
In the survey of Changshu Agricultural Research Institute, we found that the development of agricultural science and technology has a positive impact on women's employment. By introducing advanced agricultural technology, the labor intensity of work has been reduced, lowering the physical strength requirements for employees, allowing more women to enter the agricultural production field, increasing their employment opportunities and income levels. Among the employees working in the farm, the number of women has exceeded that of men, showing the positive effect of technology on women's empowerment by improving the working environment and reducing the demand for physical labor. We hope that in the future, the symbiotic system of humans-plants-microorganisms that we have built can be applied in practice and bring more employment opportunities for women, promoting the realization of economic equality.
SDG 8
Why
The improvement of economic productivity is the core driving force for economic growth. Through technological upgrades and innovation, enterprises and countries can use resources more efficiently, improve production efficiency, and promote sustainable economic growth. This growth is not only reflected in the rise of GDP but also brings higher income levels and quality of life, promoting the overall prosperity of society. Promoting technological innovation can also create more high-quality employment opportunities, thereby driving an increase in the employment rate of the entire society. Technological innovation can also promote a more green and low-carbon economic model. Through technological innovation, resource waste and environmental pollution can be reduced, and the industry can be transformed towards an environmentally friendly and sustainable development model.
We decided to focus on 8.2 achieving a higher level of economic productivity through diversified operations, technological upgrades, and innovation, and 8.5 achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all men and women, including young people and persons with disabilities, by 2030, with equal pay for work of equal value.
How We Did It
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Our survey in Changshu Agricultural Science and Technology Park found that: in the park, by building an advanced cultivation system, organic vegetables can be produced efficiently throughout the year. This kind of vegetable is priced higher in the market and can bring higher income, achieving the dual improvement of production efficiency and economic benefits. At the same time, this kind of cultivation system can also be used for cultivating economic crops such as flowers, with a variety of models. This kind of operation mode can bring good economic benefits.
In addition, technological upgrades and innovation in the park have created more light physical labor jobs, better empowering women's employment, and allowing more people to have decent work. This point is more detailed in SDG 5.
SDG 12
Why
The resources of our planet are being depleted, but the population is growing. If the global population reaches 9.8 billion by 2050, it will require the resources of three Earths to provide the natural resources needed to maintain the current lifestyle9. If we continue to rely on the current consumption and production models, a severe resource crisis may be faced in the future. Sustainable consumption and production models improve the efficiency of resource use and avoid waste. In combination with our project and the actual situation, we decided to focus on 12.2 sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, 12.4 significantly reducing the chances of chemicals entering the atmosphere and seeping into water and soil, reducing their negative impact on human health and the environment, and 12.5 significantly reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.
How We Did It
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In our survey of Changshu Agricultural Science and Technology Park, we learned that its intelligent management, such as the nutrient solution intelligent environmental control system, has achieved efficient use of resources, reducing labor costs, input waste, and environmental pollution. The nutrient solution recycling system adopted by the park further promotes the recycling of resources, reducing wastewater discharge. Our project can help achieve phosphorus aggregation and recovery in the nutrient solution, further reducing phosphorus pollution and improving resource utilization efficiency, promoting the achievement of SDG 12. These practices not only improve production efficiency but also promote a more sustainable production model.
Our survey of Xiaoji Town Modern Agricultural Industry Park revealed the sustainable development issues in the existing agricultural model, such as the management of vegetable continuous cropping obstacles, crop resource waste, and limitations in fertilizer use. These issues are not conducive to the sustainable development of agriculture and lead to resource waste and environmental pollution. By introducing synthetic biology technology, our project can recover phosphorus from bio-slurry and bio-liquid, reduce the dependence on chemical fertilizers, and at the same time provide clean energy for farmers through power generation.
See our numerical analyses below.
Literature10 on the composition of leftover biogas slurry and residue indicates that each cubic meter of a biogas digester contains 0.41 kg of phosphorus. In Jiangsu Province, rice cultivation recommends applying 3.5 kg of phosphate fertilizer per mu (about 0.067 hectares)11, with a phosphorus content of 1.5 kg. By calculating nutrient content and molecular weights, we find that 0.3092 kg of phosphorus is needed per mu of farmland. Shewanella bacteria demonstrate the ability to accumulate phosphorus, where 1 cubic meter of bacterial solution can collect 0.123 kg of phosphorus. Therefore, 3 cubic meters of bacterial solution are required to meet the phosphorus demand of one mu of farmland. Based on a phosphate fertilizer price of 6,800 yuan per ton, using Shewanella bacteria to gather phosphorus allows 3 cubic meters of biogas digestate phosphorus to substitute the required fertilizer for one mu, saving 28.7 yuan.
In terms of power generation, Shewanella bacteria can generate 1.536 watt-hours of electricity from 0.2 liters of bacterial solution over 48 hours. Assuming the use of 1 cubic meter of bacterial solution, 7,680 watt-hours can be generated in 48 hours. At Jiangsu's agricultural electricity rate of 0.509 yuan per kilowatt-hour12, this electricity is worth about 4 yuan every 48 hours, potentially yielding 60 yuan per month. Accounting for the winter season when Shewanella bacteria cannot survive, this equates to an annual income of approximately 480 yuan.
SDG 13
Why
Climate change is a global issue, and sustainable development is increasingly becoming a focus of the world. Climate change not only affects the ecological environment but also poses a threat to the stability of the global economy and society. Since 1990, global carbon dioxide emissions have increased by nearly 50%, and the growth rate during 2000-2010 has been faster than those of the previous three decades. The goal encourages countries to improve their ability to resist and adapt to climate-related disasters and natural disasters, incorporate response measures into the national strategic planning system, and increase education and publicity to raise people's awareness. So far, more than 130 countries have made carbon-neutral commitments, and targeted policies and actions have been implemented to achieve the effectiveness of carbon emission reduction. We believe that under the promotion of national policies, both environmental and economic benefits can be achieved, and empirical analysis proves it13. Therefore, we decided to focus on 13.2 incorporating measures to address climate change into national policies, strategies, and planning, and 13.3 strengthening education and publicity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning, and strengthening the capabilities of personnel and institutions in this regard.
How We Did It
See also Activities
Climate change is a global phenomenon that requires national efforts to achieve goals and also needs individual actions. Therefore, we not only hope to understand the impact of national policies and laws and regulations but also hope to raise individual awareness. Our actions aim to increase people's awareness of environmental protection and understanding of the impact of national policies.
In order to understand the laws and regulations for addressing climate change, we visited a law firm. They introduced to us the current construction of China's carbon trading market and provided valuable insights into the legal framework for carbon emission trading. Our project can aggregate phosphorus and generate electricity while treating wastewater, which is beneficial for reducing carbon emissions. We also learned about the current development status of China's carbon trading market and discussed how to promote carbon emission reduction through legal means, carbon emission rights trading, and asset preservation, and received professional advice from lawyers.
We participated in the Starlight Fair, where Nanjing-China, along with 60 other distinctive "merchants," carefully arranged an "exclusive booth." We transformed microbial plasmids and abstract genetic elements into paper puzzle games. During the more than 4 hours from 5 pm to 9 pm, more than 500 people participated in the game. Thanks to the high-density booth arrangement at Gulou Campus, it is estimated that the number of people affected by this year's Starlight Fair exceeded a thousand, a year-on-year increase of more than 50%. The coverage of this year's Starlight Fair has also greatly increased, involving people from retired elderly to school-age children, with a richer educational background and professional background, covering the four major disciplines of arts, sciences, engineering, and medicine. According to on-site estimates, more than 50% of the participants were from the humanities background, 20% from medical science, 30% from science and engineering, and more than 80% of the participants completed the related puzzle challenges either independently or with guidance, with the youngest being only 8 years old. This Starlight Fair effectively disseminated the knowledge of synthetic biology, allowing the public to understand the deep principles of social hot topics such as genetic engineering and biotechnology through interactive puzzles, expanding the influence of the project, and successfully promoting the public's understanding of science and social participation.
In order to raise public awareness of environmental protection, we held a science popularization activity for the public on the 2024 World Environment Day, which is also the traditional Chinese solar term "Grain in Ear." Through environmental protection exhibitions, public lectures, and interactive Q&A, we introduced the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to participants in depth, the activity tweet views exceeded 500 people, conveying to the public the importance of protecting the environment. In the activity, we called on the public to leave their commitments on the signature board, and in the end, 55 signatures were collected, showing everyone's positive attention and commitment to sustainable development and environmental protection. The event also obtained a certificate from the United Nations Environment Programme, further highlighting its important role in promoting the dissemination of environmental protection concepts.
SDG 16
Why
Effective institutions can implement policies efficiently, solve social problems, provide public services, ensure reasonable resource allocation, and improve resource allocation efficiency. Transparency and accountability can prevent corruption, abuse of power, and unfair behavior, enabling governments and institutions to gain the trust of the people. Only when the public has confidence in the capabilities and fairness of governments and institutions can society achieve more stable development. Effective, transparent, accountable, and inclusive decision-making processes are the foundation for achieving all SDGs. The transparency and accountability of government institutions ensure that resources are reasonably allocated and promote the coordinated development of society, economy, and environment. Inclusive and participatory decision-making ensure that no group is left out in the development process, ensuring that everyone can make progress in economy, society, environment, and other aspects.
How We Did It
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We conducted a special interview with two professional lawyers from SINO PRO Law Firm, aiming to explore how government policies can promote industrial development and environmental protection to achieve sustainable development. The research found that effective, responsible, and transparent policy-making by the government can guide the healthy development of industries and reduce environmental burden. In addition, inclusiveness and participation in decision-making are particularly crucial in the establishment of the carbon emission rights trading market. Through extensive policy promotion and social cooperation, ensuring that the interests of all parties are fully expressed, it helps to accelerate green transformation and policy implementation. This lays the foundation for promoting sustainable consumption and production models and further enhances society's trust in environmental policies. More information on how Chinese policies promote environmental protection can be found in HP activities. The related legal opinions we launched can be seen here.
Regrettably, because legal knowledge is highly technical, we find it difficult to translate Chinese legal statutes into English; therefore, all legal information is presented in Chinese.
law.pdf
SDG 17
Why
Since the Cold War, space has been closely related to military technology and has been considered an object of technical confidentiality by many countries. In China, many scientific research institutes often refuse external interviews to avoid confidentiality risks and restrict social forces from participating in technology sharing. At the same time, this year we were fortunate to receive the help of relevant private space flight agencies, which facilitated the smooth progress of the Nanjing-China project. We believe that in SDG 17.16 mobilizing and sharing knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources to support all countries, especially developing countries, to achieve sustainable development goals, space technology, as a key direction for the future development of human technology, should not be an exception to knowledge sharing. Developed countries have a responsibility to share relevant knowledge with developing countries to avoid unnecessary blockades.
How We Did It
See also Activities
We actively participated in the iGEM 2024 Space Village Meet-Up. Unlike other teams, we did not focus on sharing our project, which can be known through other forms such as Wiki or Promotion Video. At the meeting, we shared the latest achievements of our Dry Lab - EGOAL, to help more teams solve synthetic biology problems quickly. We also discussed with teams around the world the difficulties and challenges encountered in the project execution process. Our actions on SDG 17 are small, and the national restrictions on space are not easy to break, but we firmly believe that space will become the common future of all mankind, not limited to a few countries.
SDG X
Why
Human activities have crossed the Earth and entered space, and the sustainable development goals of the Earth can also be extended to space.
Interstellar mining, commercialization of the moon14, and other concepts are very likely to be realized in the future, allowing people to utilize the infinite resources of space. However, it is also necessary to prevent irresponsible space development to avoid overexploitation and environmental damage. Establishing space SDGs will help humans more easily achieve sustainable development when settling in space in the future and maintain a long-term healthy living environment. In addition, space development and interstellar voyages cannot be separated from the cooperation of multiple countries. SDGs in space can establish unified standards and cooperation frameworks, allowing countries to use space peacefully and together.
How We Did It
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Based on the existing SDG goals, international space law, space treaties, and SRR information15, 16, 17, 18, we proposed the SDG X (SDG project in space), and modified and improved it according to the exchanges with other teams in the iGEM-Space MUN activity.
SDG X: Equally, peacefully united, and sustainably develop and utilize space resources.
X.1. Solve the problem of space debris accumulation and ensure the protection of celestial bodies, including planetary atmospheres and surfaces, from harmful pollution or development.
X.2. Ensure that all countries, regardless of their economic conditions, can benefit from the progress of space technology. Avoid space monopoly and support the fair distribution of the benefits of space exploration.
X.3. Create sustainable living conditions in space, protect the health of astronauts, and prevent space-related diseases.
X.4. Build energy-saving, durable, and environmentally friendly infrastructure for long-term space missions, including habitats, power systems, and resource processing facilities.
X.5. Space activities should be managed within a framework that promotes peace, avoids militarization, and strengthens global cooperation to enhance human understanding of the universe.
X.6. Strengthen regional and international cooperation in space-related science, technology, and innovation, enhance access channels, and promote knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms. This includes improving coordination among existing mechanisms, particularly at the United Nations level, and advancing collaboration through a global technology promotion mechanism.
X.7. Take measures to prevent the introduction of alien invasive species and prevent the invasion of Earth species into other planetary ecosystems, reducing their impact on land and water ecosystems.