There is no country which has not experienced the drastic effects of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are more than 50 percent higher than they were in 1990. Such atmospheric changes are causing long-term effects to our climate, threatening immense damage and irreversible consequences if we do not act.
Goal 13: Climat Action
Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change and Its Impacts.
Global annual economic losses from climate-related disasters are in the hundreds of billions of dollars. This is not to mention the human impact of geo-physical disasters, which are 91 percent climate-related. It is estimated that between 1998 and 2017 approximately 1.3 million people were killed and 4.4 billion were injured as a result of climate change related disasters.
This Goal aims to mobilize US$100 billion annually by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries to both adapt to climate change and invest in low-carbon development. Supporting regions which are most vulnerable to climate change will not only contribute to the achievement of Goal 13, but to all other SDGs. These actions must go hand in hand with efforts to support sustainable natural resource management, disaster preparedness planning, and incorporating human security concerns into national development strategies.
While knowledge of climate change has penetrated societies around the world to varying degrees, such information is yet to transform into global action on climate change. However, with strong political will, increased investment, and the use of existing technology, it is still possible to limit the increase of global temperatures to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. However, current aims to curb temperature increase at 1.5°C require urgent and collective action from all nation-states.
Facts and figures
+1°CAs of 2017 humans are estimated to have caused approximately 1.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels.
+20cmSea levels have risen by about 20 cm (8 inches) since 1880 and are projected to rise another 30–122 cm (1 to 4 feet) by 2100.
2050To limit warming to 1.5C, global net CO2 emissions must drop by 45% between 2010 and 2030, and reach net zero around 2050.
1/3Climate pledges under The Paris Agreement cover only one third of the emissions reductions needed to keep the world below 2°C.
$26 trillionBold climate action could trigger at least US$26 trillion in economic benefits by 2030.
18 millionThe energy sector alone will create around 18 million more jobs by 2030, focused specifically on sustainable energy.
