Climate and SDG synergies: the linchpin for an equitable future

The evidence is clear: climate goals are inextricably tied to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With so many linkages between the health of our planet and complex challenges like conflict and food security, what can we do to navigate toward progress holistically? Ahead of the Fifth Global Conference on Strengthening Synergies between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN DESA’s Bahareh Seyedi explains.

What opportunities does the conference present for governments to address fragmentation causing insufficient progress on both climate goals and the SDGs?

“The conference takes place at a critical time when it’s abundantly clear that the global community is off-track on both climate goals and the SDGs. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 shows that only 17 per cent of SDG targets are on track. At the same time, global greenhouse gas emissions are at their highest levels in human history. We know from the latest assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that every fraction of a degree of warming matters. With every additional increment of global warming, changes in extremes, impacts and risks become larger. 

The only way to course-correct is to recognize that these crises are interconnected, and tackling them requires integrated and synergistic solutions that address multiple challenges at once. The conference brings together experts from governments and other stakeholders to take a deeper look at what it takes to move away from fragmentation and traditional siloed approaches towards integrated and synergistic solutions that effectively deliver on countries’ climate and development targets.

The dialogues at the conference will be particularly important in the context of the next round of nationally determined contributions (i.e. national climate plans) due in early 2025. Countries are expected to submit new and more ambitious climate plans that are aligned with what scientists say are necessary for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and preventing some of the worst effects of climate change. Countries must also put people at the centre of these plans and chart pathways towards a 1.5 degrees future that are equitable and just.“

What are some examples of successful synergistic climate and SDG actions?

“There is a growing number of examples from around the world on synergistic solutions leading to both climate and SDG co-benefits. The latest reports from the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, which is a group of independent experts, co-convened by UN DESA and UNFCCC, includes a variety of such examples in the areas of policy frameworks, financing systems, cities, knowledge and data. 

In many cities, for example, mitigation solutions in land transport, buildings, energy and cooling, and waste management systems have led not only to huge cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, but they have also delivered benefits related to better health and air quality (SDG 3), improved food security (SDG 2), more efficient use of water (SDG 6) and energy (SDG 7), as well as reducing inequalities (SDG 10). The conference will shed light on more examples as different stakeholders are invited to share lessons learned and best practices on synergistic solutions across their areas of expertise."  

How can we ensure that everyone benefits from the proposed solutions, and not just some people? 

“While there is increasing attention to equity, inclusiveness and just transition in intergovernmental fora related to climate change and development, many countries continue to grapple with socio-economic tensions arising from distributional impacts of climate policies. 

To ensure synergistic solutions are inclusive and benefit all groups in society, it is critical to take into account the contextualized nature of these solutions and navigate potential trade-offs. Who benefits, who loses and who pays must be key considerations. Distributional effects, including impacts on people living in poverty and other people in vulnerable situations, which may vary in different contexts, must be taken into account. The topic of just transition and inclusive approaches that leave no one behind will be one of the main themes of the conference. “

For more information: 
Climate and SDG Synergy Fifth Global Conference