 The UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has 17 goals to be achieved by 2030, and Earth observation is necessary to support policies for progress towards these goals. A participatory approach called the goal-based approach, GBA, links societal goals, targets, and indicators to essential transformation variables, ETVs, of the human and non-human environment. The GBA complements the expert-based approach and is applied at the goal, target, and indicator levels. Most SDG targets focus on transformations in society and the built environment, while few directly address the Earth's life support system, ELSS, physiology. Complementary indicators that bring environmental aspects to the monitoring of SDG targets are needed to ensure a functioning ELSS for sustainable development. This article was authored by Hans-Peter Plagg and Chellian Jules Plagg.