The world has just received a new and more comprehensive development framework for 2030 that integrates the environmental dimension of development and at the same time makes the term “developed countries” obsolete, in a sense. The Sustainable Development Goals outline quite a to-do list for all countries, for instance, in terms of resource efficiency, waste management, sustainable settlements or ecosystem protection. The challenge of climate change is prominently placed as a separate Goal 13, though acknowledging the UNFCCC as the primary forum. As highlighted by experts, several other SDGs are linked to protecting the climate.
Most obviously, creating sustainable and inclusive energy systems (Goal 6) is essential to reducing GHG emissions to an extent that is sufficient for achieving the 2°-objective. Furthermore, the way the world responds to the rapid urbanization trends (Goal 11) will have a significant impact on climate: not only because cities are a major source of emissions, but also because they offer great potential for climate action, for mobilization and innovation. Sustainable agriculture (Goal 2) is needed to ensure long-term food security, but is also a key sector for climate protection. Creating resilience to climate change in all sectors including land use is a precondition to maintain past development gains and move forward.
These links also remind of issues that may not have been communicated as successfully as e.g. greening energy supply. Nitrogen excess in the environment is the first of “emerging issues” listed in the UNEP Yearbook 2014. This also constitutes one of the planetary boundaries that have already been crossed. Agriculture, industry, energy and transport are the sectors to tackle (very much so in Germany, among others), which would simultaneously be good news for coastal zones, freshwater supply, human health, agricultural productivity, and the climate. On the other hand, smart integrated measures in agriculture or transport can help confront other sustainable development challenges.
These multiple interlinkages point towards the comprehensive transformation economies and societies must undergo in order to develop within the physical capacities the earth provides. In economic terms, there are well-researched, prominently-backed encouraging signals: the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate described with precision how the (infrastructure) investments during the next 15 years can mitigate climate change and boost economies. For this to happen, political commitment – to be promoted domestically and internationally – is crucial. Siloed government administrations will not be able to guide the transformation pathway, as has been recognised for some two decades now. International coordination and dialogue in various multilateral and bilateral fora can contribute substantially to the achievement of SDGs, as “2015 is the Time for Global Action”.
We are entering the last days of the BCSC 2020, with insightful discussions on a number of climate security challenges still to come, as well as the launch of our “21st Century Diplomacy: Foreign Policy Is Climate Policy” essay series. Building on the high-level political Part I of BCSC 2020 back in July, this second part aims to bring together the field’s various actors in the realm of climate, development and security policy in one digital space to meet the strategic goals of sharing good practice on what works on the ground and help inform policy processes.
The novel corona virus has had the world in its grip for months. Most countries’ immediate response was to focus on internal issues: they resorted to nationalistic approaches, closing borders and even competing for equipment, even though a multilateral approach was necessary. In the longer term, will this crisis strengthen the ties between nations? Or exacerbate the flaws of today’s multilateralism?
The pandemic and racial justice protests call for justice and crisis preparedness – an opportunity also to act on climate change. Successfully taking advantage of this momentum, however, requires a climate strategy that ensures everyone has a voice and a stake. Here, Paul Joffe builds on a previous correspondence about how to begin that effort in this time of crisis.
Now in its second decade, the ambitious African Union–led restoration initiative known as the Great Green Wall has brought close to 18 million hectares of land under restoration since 2007, according to a status report unveiled by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at a virtual meeting on Monday, 7 September.