The use of indicators to promote local sustainability through digital platforms: the cases of Cascavel (Brazil) and Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal)

Abstract

The Agenda 2030 presents indicators and goals for global sustainability, but it is incompatible with municipalities because each municipality has its own particularities, whether due to geographical, cultural, or economic characteristics. The objective of this work was to analyze the effectiveness of local sustainability goals and indicators on digital platforms (disseminated on the internet as promoters of the 2030 Agenda in municipalities), through a case study in Cascavel (Brazil) and Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal), with a view to global sustainable development. The methods used were literature review and case study. For this purpose, two programs promoting local sustainability were analyzed – the Sustainable Cities Program in Brazil, and the LocalSDG Platform in Portugal. Two medium-sized municipalities participating in these programs were addressed on the dedicated portals: Cascavel, Brazil, and Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal – and from there, municipal good practices, goals, and indicators used were analyzed, and compared with the global indicators of the United Nations. It was observed that neither the indicators nor the goals strictly adhere to the UN guidelines (primarily designed for the national level), as they were and are developed in line with abstract global goals and are not well adapted to specific characteristics that are often unique and irreproducible. Therefore, it is important for indicators and goals to consider local realities, adapting to the real problems of each community, in terms of quality and quantity, to the dynamics and specificities of the local context they seek to address, in a process commonly known as "localization of the SDGs" (Sustainable Development Goals).