This article examines the epistemological articulations between geography and sustainable development (SD) in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. As a global normative framework for a prosperous yet sustainable world, the SDGs, when confronted with the challenge of their territorialization, revive the idea of a «Geography of Sustainable Development» (GSD), a notion debated since the 2000s but which seems to have remained stagnant despite intersections around the human–nature relationship, the question of scale, and systemic approaches. Why this reluctance to affirm a GSD? Does the territorialization of the SDGs provide a new analytical lens for geography? What contributions can geographers make to the implementation of the SDGs? Rather than claiming the existence of a GSD, our aim is to highlight the relevance of geography in scaling the 2030 Agenda.
This work draws on a critical review of the literature, an analysis of global and national reports, as well as data from a doctoral thesis and interviews conducted in 2024 and 2025 within the framework of a postdoctoral fellowship supported by the Global Development Network (GDN). The findings highlight the enduring presence of SD in geography, the significant role of geographical objects in the territorial anchoring of the SDGs, and territorialization as an approach that gives meaning to a GSD.