#S8.1 PATALINJUG, AKS 12-07-18
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. It is intrinsically linked to all 16 of the other Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To address climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Why we need action
Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow.
People are experiencing the significant impacts of climate change, which include changing weather patterns, rising sea level, and more extreme weather events. The greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are driving climate change and continue to rise. They are now at their highest levels in history. Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is projected to rise over the 21st century and is likely to surpass 3 degrees Celsius this century—with some areas of the world expected to warm even more. The poorest and most vulnerable people are being affected the most.
Furthermore, changes in precipitation and temperature cycles are also affecting ecosystems such as forests, agricultural land, mountain regions and oceans, as well as the plants, animals and people that live in them. Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased by over 50% between 1990 and 2012.
A race we can win
Affordable, scalable solutions are now available to enable countries to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies. The pace of change is quickening as more people are turning to renewable energy and a range of other measures that will reduce emissions and increase adaptation efforts.
But climate change is a global challenge that does not respect national borders. Emissions anywhere affect people everywhere. It is an issue that requires solutions that need to be coordinated at the international level and it requires international cooperation to help developing countries move toward a low-carbon economy.
Goal 13 calls on countries to incorporate climate protection measures in their national policies and assist each other in responding to the challenges at hand. It acknowledges that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.
People from all walks of life, and in all countries and on all continents, must carry the flag for sustainable development and action on climate change. Every level of society, every community and every sector of every economy must be involved.
This is the opportunity for all leaders at all levels to help turn climate commitments and aspirational sustainability goals into real action and truly transform our reality.
Climate change is caused by anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. Climate change impacts natural and human systems globally through the increase globally averaged surface temperature, extreme weather events, changing precipitation patterns, rising sea levels and ocean acidification. These risks will ultimately impact people’s livelihoods, particularly marginalized groups such as women, children, and the elderly, as resources, food and water become more scarce. Those effects impact the other SDGs and often make it more difficult to achieve them. To achieve the UNFCCC goal of limiting global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the world must transform its energy, industry, transport, food, agriculture and forestry systems to ensure that cumulative net emissions do not exceed one trillion tonnes of cumulative carbon, which implies global net zero emissions by the second half of the century. Simultaneously the world needs to anticipate, adapt and become resilient to the current and expected future impacts of climate change. Companies can contribute to this SDG by decarbonizing their operations and supply chains through continuously improving energy efficiency, reducing the carbon footprint of their products, services and processes, and setting ambitious emissions reductions targets in line with climate science, as well as scaling up investment in the development of innovative low-carbon products and services. In addition, companies should build resilience in their operations, supply chains and the communities in which they operate.
Resources:
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.eda.admin.ch/post2015/en/home/agenda-2030/die-17-ziele-fuer-eine-nachhaltige-entwicklung/ziel-13-umgehend-massnahmen-zur-bekaempfung-des-klimawandels.html
Climate Action - United Nations Sustainable Development. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-action/
Innovation for SDGs and Climate Action. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/speeches/2017/innovation-for-sdgs-and-climate-action.html
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