Sustainable development goals in Sumatera Island: Poverty, Economic growth, and Environment

Department of Economic and Development, Faculty of Economics, Sriwijaya University, Indonesia.

^* Corresponding author: azwardi@fe.unsri.ac. id

Abstract

This article discusses the three pillars of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): poverty, economic growth, and the environmental quality index (EQI). Utilizing secondary data from the Ministry of Environment and the Central Statistics Agency covering the 2018-2022 period across 10 provinces in Sumatra, the research employs panel data regression and Cartesian analysis techniques. Poverty and economic growth exert partial and simultaneous influences on the environmental quality index. A decrease in poverty correlates with improved environmental quality, likely due to heightened environmental awareness alongside increased prosperity. Conversely, rising economic growth leads to environmental quality deterioration, attributed in part to heightened industrial and transportation activities. Cartesian analysis indicates the Riau Islands Province holds potential as the top-performing region in SDG achievement on Sumatra Island.