Goal #13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*

The UN Member States have agreed on a sustainable development agenda for the next 15 years, “TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT” and hope to pursue the path paved by the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). The Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon qualified the text as “people-centred and planet-sensitive” and looks forward to its submission for adoption during the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly to be held from 25 to 27 September 2015, in New York.

Three years after Rio+20 countries have decided to set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), which have economic, social and environmental targets. Climate change is the main topic of goal #13, underlining the importance to adaptation measures, climate policy, education, gender and reinforcing the crucial need to attain the resource mobilization goal of $100 billion annually by 2020, set by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development.

But the most important achievement is the mainstreaming of climate change stakes among all SDG’s, cities (goal 11) are seen as key to achieve mitigation and adaptation measures as well as water and agriculture are considered crucial sectors to enhance sustainability.

As always many criticisms can be made on the metrics that will accompany the SDG’s, and how the MDB’s are a mitigated success but stating clear goals with specific wording can create better policies and create a new state of mind.

Finally the document also makes reference to the upcoming COP21 in Paris, where we all hope that words will be transformed into action.

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1. [gdl_icon type=”icon-remove” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. [gdl_icon type=”icon-food” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. [gdl_icon type=”icon-medkit” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. [gdl_icon type=”icon-book” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. [gdl_icon type=”icon-user” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. [gdl_icon type=”icon-tint” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. [gdl_icon type=”icon-bolt” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. [gdl_icon type=”icon-money” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. [gdl_icon type=”icon-lightbulb” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. [gdl_icon type=”icon-exchange” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. [gdl_icon type=”icon-home” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Makecities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. [gdl_icon type=”icon-shopping-cart” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. [gdl_icon type=”icon-warning-sign” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts(Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change)
14. [gdl_icon type=”icon-repeat” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. [gdl_icon type=”icon-leaf” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. [gdl_icon type=”icon-legal” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. [gdl_icon type=”icon-globe” color=”#81BA26″ size=”12px”]Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

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