| Biberhofer et al. (2019) | Ecological, social, political and financial crises | 1, 9, 13, 16 |
| Brown (2012) | Impact on climate, significant changes in organisations and social systems | 8, 9, 11, 13 |
| Coleman (2018) | Conflicts in an increasingly challenging world | 16 |
| De Haan (2010) | Loss of biodiversity, climate change, consumption of resources and balance between rich and poor | 1, 12, 13, 15 |
| Demssie et al. (2019) | Climate change, social problems and poverty | 1, 2, 13 |
| Dentoni et al. (2012) | Survival in current global agri-food systems | 2, 12 |
| Evans (2019) | Socio-ecological crises that permeate all facets of human life, institutions and the natural world | 1, 2, 13–16 |
| Flynn (2014) | Complex information and communication technologies | 8, 9 |
| Giangrande et al. (2019) | Loss of biodiversity and climate change | 13, 15 |
| Glasser and Hirsh (2016) | Environmental protection, responsive governance, improved health care, meaningful work, peace, partnership and social justice | 3, 8, 13–17 |
| Hesselbarth and Schaltegger (2014) | Social and ecological problem | 1, 10, 13–15 |
| Hind et al. (2009) | Damage and abuse of all the ecosystems on the planet, from fisheries to forests | 1, 10, 13–15 |
| Leslie et al. (2018) | Inequality within countries | 10 |
| Macaulay and Lawton (2006) | Ethical challenge in public administration | 16 |
| Malheiro et al. (2019) | Fostering of sustainable development and socio-professional ethics in engineering | 8, 11 |
| Mukhtar et al. (2019) | Degradation of ecosystem, loss in biodiversity, depletion and destruction of natural resources, pollution and poverty | 1, 13–15 |
| Mulder (2017) | Challenges to feed the global population | 2 |
| Nurius (2017) | Ensure healthy development for all youth, health gap, family violence, long and productive lives, social isolation, homelessness, social responses to a changing environment, technology for social good, economic inequality and equal opportunity and justice | 1, 3, 5, 8–10, 16 |
| Ogden et al. (2021) | Increase in preventable, non-communicable chronic illness and increasing ethical and professional challenges | 3 |
| Ortiz-Marcos et al. (2020) | Water supply, deforestation, climate change and sanitary issues like COVID-19 | 3, 6, 13–15 |
| Osagie et al. (2016) | Balance in the environmental, social and business practices | 12 |
| Palaima and Skaržauskienė (2010) | Global warming, destruction of the ozone layer | 13 |
| Ploum et al. (2017) | Education of sustainable entrepreneurs to manage the triple bottom line | 12 |
| Rieckmann (2012) | Range of global social, economic, cultural and ecological changes which in the long term threaten the survival of the human species, societal change, progress of technology and globalisation | 2, 3, 13–16 |
| Roy et al. (2020) | Dams causing an ecological toll that disrupts the flow of water, fish and sediment in rivers | 14 |
| Sang et al. (2018) | Resource shortages and environmental degradation, increasingly serious resource and environmental problems | 13–15 |
| Sawleshwarkar and Negin (2017) | Improving health of the global population in the context of SDGs | 3 |
| Schellhammer (2016) | Conflict/pure survival | 16 |
| Sharma (2017) | Intensified competition, advancing technology, increasing workforce diversity and accelerating complexity | 8, 10, 12 |
| Shinnaranantana et al. (2013) | Balancing planet, people and profit | 12 |
| Stefl (2008) | Increase of people with growing expectations and more complex medical needs with relatively fewer resources | 3 |
| Steiner et al. (2013) | Civic problems (social, economic or environmental issues) | 1, 8, 13–15 |
| Sumter et al. (2020) | Linear production system | 12 |
| Uhlenbrook and Jong (2012) | Water problems | 6, 14 |
| Valley et al. (2020) | Injustices related to the food system | 5, 8, 10 |
| Valverde (2018) | Social problems, access to justice system for the disadvantaged | 16 |
| Wesselink et al. (2015) | Global warming, poverty, hunger and biodiversity decline | 1, 2, 13, 15 |
| Wiek et al. (2011) | Climate change, desertification, poverty, pandemics and war | 1, 3, 13, 15, 16 |
| Williams (2002) | Community safety, poverty, social inclusion, health inequalities, teenage pregnancies, urban regeneration, substance misuse, climate change and homelessness | 1, 3, 10, 11, 13, 16 |