The UN sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 13, taking urgent action to combat climate change, is in some ways different from the majority of SDGs. Whereas most others are developmental, about improving the life chances of the planet's most disadvantaged and vulnerable, climate change is ultimately something that firmly impacts us all regardless of wealth or status. It's more about averting a potentially lethal crisis, although one that disproportionately affects those in the poorest areas.
Greenhouse gas emissions are currently 50% higher than they were in 1990. With scientists emphasising that it's urgent that action is taken now, and even schoolchildren protesting about the situation, this is arguably the most closely monitored of the 17 UN goals. We look at what this goal is, the progress made to date, challenges to be overcome and how brands can get involved.
What is the goal and what does it include?SDG#13 is focused on protecting the environment and is listed on the UN website as “taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”. In one sense, this is the most important of all the UN goals because, well, all other goals are null and void if we don't have an inhabitable planet left. Climate change and global warming impacts on all areas of life, so SDG#13 can be related in some way to all other SDGs. It's particularly closely related to SDG#6 (clean water and sanitation), #12 (responsible consumption and production), #14 (life below water) and #15 (life on land).SDG#13 has a total of 5 targets and 8 indicators, which are:
- Strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and disasters in all countries. This is measured by number of overall countries with disaster risk reduction strategies in place, proportion of local governments implementing proper disaster risk reduction strategies, and number of climate change-related deaths, missing persons and individuals affected by climate disasters per 100,000 of the population.
- Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning, measured by number of countries that are doing this in a way that does not affect food production.
- Improve education, awareness raising and capacity to deal with climate change. This is measured by number of countries that have integrated climate change strategies into educational curricula at primary, secondary and tertiary level.
- Mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing countries address needs related to climate change.
- Raise climate change planning capacity in the least developed countries, including focusing on women, young people and marginalized communities, measured by number of countries receiving support and the amount of support provided.
What has been done so far?
Progress on this goal has been a little bit like fire fighting, with positive results such as countries making commitments to taking action being achieved against a backdrop of worsening global warming. The 2018 UN report on SDG progress highlights how there is a very long way to go before real progress is made:
- 2017 was one of the three warmest years on record, while the five-year average for the 2013-17 period was the warmest on record;
- There is continuing rising sea levels, extreme weather and concentration of greenhouse gases across the world;
- The number of deaths attributed to natural disasters continues to rise, although deaths per 100,000 of the population has reduced since 2015;
- 175 parties (174 countries plus the European Commission) have now ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement;
- 10 development countries have so far submitted national adaptation plans for responding to climate change;
- Although progress has been made towards the $100 billion 2020 target for developing countries, only $10.2 billion has been committed as of 2018.
- According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2018 climate report, limiting global warming to an increase of 1.5 degrees C (as opposed to 2 degrees C which scientists believe is the threshold) will require far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.
Among the various global projects underway to tackle climate change are:
- Cuba – has received funds to combat recent droughts that have affected over one million residents. Money is being used to strengthen the resilience of communities and to improve access to water.
- Fiji – young farmers are being trained in organic agriculture to help build local climate resilience.
- Mozambique – money is being used to implement sustainable agricultural production systems so that communities can adapt and deal with the risks posed by climate change.
- Belize – has been using innovative farming techniques to protect the country's rich biodiversity.
What are the biggest challenges and areas for improvement?SDG#8 poses some of the biggest challenges of all the development goals, along with some of the largest areas for improvement. Halting global warming is the biggest challenge we currently face worldwide and it isn't something that will happen overnight, but we know we don't have much time. The targets are heavily focused on getting nations to submit action plans and prepare for the risks ahead rather than making the radical changes that some say are required to avert the worst case scenarios. It may have been better to link this goal to more measurable outcomes focused on changing lifestyle habits at both household and business level.
Where targets have been put in place, they have come under criticism for being too tame. Some have argued that the Paris Agreement pledges to cut global emissions are only one-third of what is required to avoid the worst impacts by 2030. Campaigners at last year's COP24 summit in Poland said that leaders should have pushed for more radical action such as a faster move away from fossil fuels. However, it has been acknowledged that progress is being made, with more countries placing climate change high on the agenda and even the big oil-producing Gulf states pledging to shift towards renewable forms of energy.
Inevitably, with such a complex issue involving divergent needs and goals (e.g. lifestyle changes vs improving climate resilience of poorest areas, long-term vs short-term goals, etc.), there is another big challenge in ensuring even progress across all parts of the world, with the danger of some regions falling short. It's already been highlighted that some areas such as the Asia Pacific are falling behind on targets. With potential global ramifications of any failures with SDG#13, problems will need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
Finally, there is the risk of progress of other SDGs having a detrimental effect on attempts to combat climate change. Goals such as eliminating poverty, creating jobs and building industry are reliant on the model of GDP growth which, if not properly regulated, will cause further environmental degradation. More emphasis seems to have been placed on the SDGs dependent on economic growth, but it's the results on climate change that are far more urgent.
How can brands get involved with SDG#13?
All brands, from the biggest to the smallest, can play an important role in helping to achieve SDG#13. If you are a business owner, here are just a few of the things you can do:
- Align your company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy to incorporate SDG#8 as well as the other UN sustainability goals.
- Reduce your energy and water consumption by making your premises a green building. Buildings are responsible for around 40% of overall energy consumption. You can help the environment by switching to renewable energy, improving water efficiency by using systems such as greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting, and recycling your products.
- Measure the carbon footprint of your business annually so you can track your environmental performance.
- Adopt a science-based emissions reduction target to bring your business in line with global emissions reductions.
- If you sell merchandise, ensure that they are produced using only eco-friendly materials and methods. You can see many modern brands that are doing this already on the Miigle website.
- Donate a portion of your profits to SDG projects in the least developed countries.
Examples of brands that have been getting involved with SDG#13 are:
- Unilever – the number one environmental brand, according to a study by GlobeScan and SustainAbility. Unilever have pledged that all of their agricultural products will come from sustainable sources by 2020 and it also aims to eliminate single use plastic packaging in the UK by 2025.
- JetBlue – the low-cost US airline has managed to offset over 2 billion pounds of CO2 emissions and has invested significantly in renewable jet fuel.
- Patagonia – the American outdoor clothing company sells products made with organic cotton and recycled fabrics. It also donates 1% of sales to environmental projects.
- IKEA – the Swedish furniture retailer has invested $2 billion in renewable energy projects and has installed around 750,000 solar panels on its buildings.
- Tesla – the pioneering electric car manufacturer has a code of conduct for suppliers which includes a number of environmental pledges.
Useful links
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs – information on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
https://www.globalgoals.org/ - information and news on SDG campaigns, how to get involved and links to social media pages.
