The effects of climate change around the world and its impact on human lives has now become obvious. Rising temperatures and sea levels, extreme weather events, the loss of biodiversity, and other climate-change related phenomena are affecting every level of society. There is clear scientific consensus that the acceleration in climate change is anthropogenic. Since 1850, cumulative net CO2 emissions have been rising. During the period 2010-2019, average annual greenhouse gas emissions were higher than in any previous decade.1 It would not be an exaggeration to state that the situation is dire and the only way forward is collective global action.
In 2015, the United Nations (UN) established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a collection of 17 interlinked objectives, which constitute the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
The SDGs are intended to be “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity”2, and they have been adopted by 193 UN member states3.
These goals are closely linked to one another. SDG13 Climate Action, for instance, is supported by SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities – among others.
Together, these goals comprise an urgent ‘to-do list’ for government, industry and civil society, providing a framework for action.
The awareness of climate change is at a peak, boosted by advocacy, by events such as COP27 in 2022, and by the extraordinary effectiveness of outreach programmes such as David Attenborough’s Blue Planet.4 This awareness is also being reflected in concrete action. In 2022, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported a consistent expansion of policies and laws addressing mitigation since its previous review in 2014. This expansion “has led to the avoidance of emissions that would otherwise have occurred and increased investment in low-GHG (Greenhouses Gases) technologies and infrastructure”.5
Over 70 countries, including the biggest polluters – China, the United States, and countries in the European Union – have set a net-zero target, covering in the region of 76% of global emissions. To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. A growing coalition of countries, cities, businesses and other institutions have joined the Race to Zero, to halve global emissions by 2030.6
Though these targets are an important step in the right direction, there is no room for complacency. As of today, there are only seven years to go until the first milestone, and efforts have been slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Momentum, increased collaboration and ambitious action are critical to achieving emissions targets.