Consider the following statements.

1. The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the ‘Club of Rome’.

2. The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is 2 only.

Let us analyze each statement carefully to understand why only Statement 2 is correct.

Statement 1: "The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the 'Club of Rome'."

This statement contains two factual errors and is therefore incorrect.

Error 1 — Wrong origin of the SDGs:
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were not proposed in 1972. The SDGs were formally adopted by all United Nations member states in September 2015, at the UN Sustainable Development Summit, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The concept of SDGs was first proposed during the Rio+20 Conference (the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development) held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, where member states agreed to develop a set of goals to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Error 2 — Wrong organization:
The Club of Rome is indeed a real global think tank, founded in 1968. It is well known for commissioning the influential report "The Limits to Growth" published in 1972, which warned about resource depletion and environmental degradation. However, the Club of Rome had no role in proposing the SDGs. The SDGs were developed through a process led by the United Nations, involving intergovernmental negotiations and inputs from member states, civil society, and various stakeholders.

So Statement 1 incorrectly conflates the Club of Rome's 1972 environmental report with the origin of the SDGs — these are entirely separate events separated by over four decades.

Statement 2: "The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030."

This statement is correct.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), along with their 169 associated targets, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as the core framework of the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". The SDGs officially came into effect on 1 January 2016, and all nations committed to achieving them by the target year of 2030. This is why the framework is often referred to as "Agenda 2030" or the "2030 Agenda".

The 17 SDGs cover a broad range of global priorities, including:

• No Poverty
• Zero Hunger
• Good Health and Well-Being
• Quality Education
• Gender Equality
• Clean Water and Sanitation
• Affordable and Clean Energy
• Climate Action
• Life Below Water, Life on Land, and more

All of these goals are to be achieved by the year 2030, making Statement 2 factually accurate.

Conclusion:
Statement 1 is incorrect (SDGs were not proposed in 1972 and not by the Club of Rome).
Statement 2 is correct (SDGs are indeed targeted for achievement by 2030).
Therefore, the answer is 2 only.