Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia requires ambitious climate targets combined with sustainability-focused measures

Abstract Asian countries face the dual challenge of fulfilling ambitious climate commitments under the Paris Agreement while simultaneously advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study develops an integrated analytical framework that links decarbonization pathways with SDG indicators across energy, air quality, health, and the food-water-land nexus, as well as policy cost-effectiveness, explicitly incorporating national circumstances. Our findings indicate that current climate pledges primarily deliver gains in SDG indicators related to energy and air quality. Achieving broader progress across other SDG dimensions requires combining more ambitious climate targets with diverse, sustainability-oriented mitigation measures tailored to domestic contexts. Middle- and low-income countries face greater pressure in balancing transition costs and target feasibility; therefore, strengthened international support and robust domestic policies are needed to advance climate ambition alongside sustainable development, including climate finance, technology transfer, and measures that can ensure a just transition for vulnerable industries.