SDG 13 – Climate Action

Climate change is affecting every country on every continent today. It has negative effects on economies and the lives of everyone, for which people, communities and countries are already paying and will continue to pay in the future. Weather conditions are changing, sea levels are rising, weather events are becoming more extreme and greenhouse gas emissions are now at their highest levels in history. Without appropriate action, the world’s average surface temperature is likely to exceed three degrees Celsius this century. The poorest and most vulnerable will be hardest hit.

Affordable, scalable solutions are now available to help countries transition to cleaner, more resilient economies. The pace of change is accelerating as more people turn to renewable energy and a range of other measures that will reduce emissions and increase adaptation efforts. However, climate change is a global challenge that knows no national boundaries. It is a global problem whose solutions must be coordinated at the international level.

To strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement at COP21 in Paris, which entered into force in November 2016. In the agreement, all countries agreed to limit the global temperature increase to well below two degrees Celsius. By April 2018, 175 parties had ratified the Paris Agreement and ten developing countries had submitted their first national adaptation plans to respond to climate change.

Did you know?
3 billion to 3.6 billion people live in situations that are highly vulnerable to climate change.