Topic outline

  • Sustainable Development Goals: SDGs



    • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations aims at ending all poverty and strengthening universal peace in freedom, while harmonizing the economy, society, and the environment, so that humankind can continue to prosper in a sustainable manner. It is challenging to achieve this by 2030, but it is not impossible if all people start moving toward this. It is important for each person to think about what they can do for SDGs.


    • What goals have SDGs set?

      　Goals 1 to 17 are described in the 2030 Agenda.

  • LASBOS and SDGs

    • How does LASBOS contribute to SDGs achievement?

      　To achieve a challenging goal of SDGs, everyone must act towards the same goal. As it is essential to increase the number of people moving together, the media with the ability to communicate and spread actions toward the achievement of SDGs is required. LASBOS provides on-line teaching materials by transmitting research and educational information related to SDGs to students and the public at Hokkaido University.



    • What is the relevance of LASBOS to the SDGs?

      　Goal 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 13, 14, and 15 of SDGs are highly relevant to LASBOS, which is a collection of online educational materials on oceans and fisheries.





    • Below goals and targets are excerpted from "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

    • Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (20 related educational materials)

      2.3 Double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular fishers

      2.4 Ensure sustainable food production systems

      → LASBOS disseminates information on research and education related to stable food production through aquaculture and breeding and high value-added marine products.

    • Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (5 related educational materials)

      3.3 By 2030, combat water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

      3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

      → LASBOS disseminates information on research related to food poisoning control and water quality improvement in food processing and distribution.

    • Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (3 related educational materials)

      4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and tertiary education, including university

      4.b Substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to least developed countries, for enrolment in higher education

      → LASBOS introduces Hokkaido University's courses and makes the materials accessible to everyone. We are also gradually translating them from Japanese to English. Through the online educational materials, we are making people in least developed countries aware of the educational contents of Hokkaido University and supporting the people who are planning to study at Hokkaido University.

    • Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (2 related educational materials)

      6.3 Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

      6.6 Protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

      → LASBOS introduces research that improves the safety of the water people use. Some of the phytoplankton that breed in lakes can multiply to great heights and release toxins. There is research on controlling such harmful algae with the help of naturally occurring microorganisms.

    • Goal 8: Sustainable economic growth and decent work (1 related educational material)


      8.3 Support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation

      8.4 Improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production progressively. Endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation

      → Related to goals 1 and 5, empowering women is essential to building a stable and resilient social system based on fisheries as an economic foundation. In addition, it is essential for the sustainability of the system that all people have access to decent work.  LASBOS will introduce the research being conducted with this perspective.

    • Goal 9: Promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation  (1 related educational material)

      9.4 Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes

    • Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries (related educational materials)

      10.1 Progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population

      10.6 Ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions

      → Research is being conducted to improve the incomes of those at the lower end of the income scale in a society based on a fishery economy, and to use that economic base to build a social system that allows equal trade with other countries. LASBOS introduces such research.

    • Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (related educational materials)

      12.3 Halve global food waste and reduce food losses along production and supply chains

      12.b Monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that promotes local  products

      → LASBOS disseminates information on research and education related to the utilization of unused parts of food residues (mainly seafood), food preservation, safety and hygiene.
      → Promote seafood products through LASBOS card.

    • Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (related educational materials)

              13.3 Improve education on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

      → LASBOS disseminates information on research and education about climate change related to the ocean and fisheries.

    • Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (related educational materials)

      14.1 Prevent marine pollution of all kinds

      14.2 Protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, and take action for their restoration

      14.3 Minimize the impacts of ocean acidification

      14.4 Effectively regulate harvesting in order to restore fish stocks

      14.7 Sustainable use of marine resources in least developed countries 

      14.a Increase scientific knowledge in order to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries

      →LASBOS disseminates information on research and education related to the following marine sciences and fisheries.

      　　Marine sciences (physics, chemistry, and biology)

      　　Survey, research, and education on marine microplastics

      　　Research marine ecosystems and propose fishing regulations to restore ecosystems

      　　Research on ocean acidification

      　　Research and education in fisheries science in the least developed countries

      　　Research on marine biodiversity

    • Goal 15: Protect terrestrial ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss (related educational materials) [in preparation]

      15.1  ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services

      15.5  Halt the loss of biodiversity

      15.8  Prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species

      → LASBOS disseminates information on the following research and education.

      　　Survey biodiversity in rivers and lakes

      　　Research on the ecology of fishes that migrate between rivers and the sea, and their contribution to the terrestrial ecosystem, for the purpose of conservation

      　　Research to investigate the distribution of non-native fishes in rivers and lakes and the effects

  • What does LASBOS do for SDGs?

    • 　Much of the education and research conducted at Hokkaido University is related to the SDGs. It is necessary to make many people aware of and interested in the SDGs. LASBOS can help it (especially in fields related to the ocean).

      1)　Provide the list of the education and research information disseminated by LASBOS that is relevant to the SDGs

      2)　Explain the relevance of the education and research to the SDGs

      　   Explain as clearly as possible what is relevant and how it relates to the SDGs targets

      　   The education and research information could include background knowledge of the SDGs

      　　(We will update the explanations to make it easier to understand. At first it may be a short explanation.)

      In FY2021, we plan to implement so far.



      For some of the SDG-related items, LASBOS might do the following.

      3)　Develop specific plans and goals for how you will contribute to the SDGs. Self-evaluation will be performed every certain period of time.

      　   The ideas and ways of doing this are described below. It will be updated depending on progress.


      　SDGs have set a deadline and specific goals. The agenda states follow-up and review are essential. This is the responsibility of the governments of each country, so reviews of all individual efforts are not required. However, follow-up and review of contributions to the SDGs at universities and companies need to be possible. In other words, the universities and companies should take responsibility for "not letting us are all talk and no action for SDGs".


      　We would like to list and record the following items so that the follow-up and review do not become too burdensome to progress.

      1)　Explain what goals in SDGs are related to and how (a few lines)
      2)　Action plan for achieving SDGs, what to do in the year, and what to do in years (one to several lines)
      3)　When the year of the plan has passed, report progress, self-evaluate, and re-develop the plan (one to several lines)
      4)　If you plan to work with other people, report who you will work with and what you plan to do (one to several lines)


  • Contribute to SDGs with LASBOS


    • 　LASBOS hopes to contribute to SDGs by informing many people about SDG-related issues. It is a great pleasure that there are people who see LASBOS and want to contribute to SDGs. There are several ways to contribute. 1) Learning about the SDGs and do something about them independently. 2) To enroll in Hokkaido University to study the basics and to do research that can contribute to SDGs. 3) Supporting SDG-related research at Hokkaido University and conduct collaborative research. Please consider those.


      As a higher education institution, Hokkaido University can contribute to SDGs Goal 4 (Ensuring equal access for all to tertiary education), SDGs Goal 13 (Education on early warning of climate change), and other goals. LASBOS hopes to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs as a platform for distributing the contents of higher education online.

      As a research institution, Hokkaido University can contribute to SDGs Goal 2, 12, 13, 14, and 15 (Resolving issues related to food issues, ocean and land-water environments, and ecosystems). Please consider joining us as a joint researcher (industry-academia collaboration) or joining us as a student at Hokkaido University and working together.


      　Each research activity is carried out with specific purposes. Research is not conducted just to contribute to SDGs. However, when we set individual research purposes and in the process of conducting the research, we always consider whether it is enough to contribute to the SDGs. We have positioned the SDGs as our guiding principles for action.

      　We would be grateful for support from individuals or companies for those researches. Please contact us. We would also appreciate your support for maintaining LASBOS, which provides online education of Hokkaido University to the general public.

    • Contact us URL

      LASBOS is run by the Balanced Ocean Project of Hokkaido University.


    • Link to the top page of "Hokkaido University x SDGs" site.