Fermatean fuzzy step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) and its application to prioritizing indicators to achieve sustainable development goal-7

The Sustainable Development Goals have been developed with the aim of ensuring that no individual living in the world is left behind from the social, economic and environmental gains achieved. Accessible and Clean Energy, the Sustainable Development Goal-7 (SDG-7), aims to provide accessible, reliable and sustainable energy for all. In this study, SDG-7 and its indicators are analyzed with multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach. This study reveals a novel MCDM model that can be used in prioritizing indicators to achieve the United Nation's sustainable development goals. For this purpose, one of the MCDM models, Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) is extended under Fermatean Fuzzy (FF) environment. By this way, FF-SWARA is proposed into the literature as a novel weighting methodology. Then, indicators are prioritized by FF-SWARA based on expert opinions. As a result, "access to electricity" and "renewable energy share" are determined as the most important indicators to achieve SDG-7. Also, managerial and practical insights are presented for Turkey. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.