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The SDG2000
World Benchmarking Alliance identifies 2,000 most influential companies globally who can help or hinder achieving the SDGs.
20 January 2024
Climate change is the single biggest threat to the global environment and socio-economic development – demanding an urgent transformation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a new study.
The UN SDGs were created to end poverty, build social-economic health protection and enhance education and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and providing environmental protection.
Following the COP29 environmental summit in Baku, University of Birmingham experts say that, as climate action is linked to sustainable development, systematic integration of climate resilience into every aspect of the SDGs is the only way of securing our planet’s future.
Publishing their findings in npj Climate Action, the interdisciplinary team of researchers, from across all five of the university’s constituent colleges, sets out a blueprint for transforming the SDGs by integrating climate action across all targets and indicators.
The researchers emphasise the need for sustainable agricultural practices, water management and ocean conservation to mitigate climate impacts, with climate-resilient tools and policies helping to ensure food security and protect natural resources.
‘Embedding climate action within each SDG would ensure that climate resilience is a core component of sustainable development. If we fail to resolve tensions between development goals and climate action, we will find it impossible to secure the future of our planet and its people.’
DR AJIT SINGH
Lead author
The researchers have created a five-point that recommends aligning the Paris Agreement’s climate objectives with the SDGs to create a unified pathway for sustainable development.
Clear short-term targets should be defined alongside long-term goals to provide a structured approach for achieving climate-resilient development.
Local communities should be empowered to help develop and implement climate-focused policies.
A unified financial system should be established to support climate-resilient sustainable goals, particularly in vulnerable regions.
Finally, the researchers recommend forming an international panel to allow coordination and knowledge exchange between sectors.
‘Climate change is the most significant contemporary threat to the environment, human well-being, and livelihoods. It impacts every one of the 17 SDGs, particularly through increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events.’
PROFESSOR FRANCIS POPE
Corresponding author
The researchers note that climate change worsens poverty and inequality, as well as affecting health through disasters and influencing disease patterns and mental health.
It reduces agricultural productivity and food security, while damaging water ecosystems and harming marine life.
They highlight the intricate links between climate change and poverty, health, education and gender equality, calling for climate-resilient economic development and integration of climate education within school curricula to help communities to tackle climate challenges.
The UN SDGs were developed through consultation with countries, international institutions and civil society. UN member states collectively agreed and formulated the global goals, but individual countries are responsible for reviewing and implementing progress towards SDG targets.
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