6 November 2017: The German Development Institute (DIE) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) launched a tool that highlights synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by countries under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The NDC-SDG Connections database and online visualizations are based on an analysis more than 160 climate plans in terms of their contribution to the SDGs. The tool, which was presented on 6 November 2017, on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, seeks to provide decision makers, civil society and other stakeholders with a concise overview of how the Paris Agreement supplements the 2030 Agenda.

Developers of the database see COP 23 as an opportunity to “better dovetail” climate protection and sustainable development.

In an article introducing the database, DIE describes the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UNFCCC as an opportunity to “better dovetail” climate protection and sustainable development, emphasizing that the climate and sustainable development agendas require joint implementation approaches. The database aims to show: the degree and manner in which the NDCs contribute to the SDGs; what type of climate measures can contribute to the implementation of specific SDG targets; and the interlinked nature of the SDGs, and how synergies with multiple sustainability goals are already contained within climate measures.

The online tool includes a graphic that shows how many NDC activities correspond to each SDG. In descending order, 1,190 activities in the NDCs relate to SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy); 913 relate to SDG 15 (life on land); 842 relate to SDG 2 (zero hunger); 649 NDCs relate to SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities); 630 relate to SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation); 533 relate to SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals); 475 relate to SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure); 411 relate to SDG 13 (climate action); 306 relate to SDG 5 (decent work and economic growth); 239 relate to SDG 13 (responsible consumption and production); 238 relate to SDG 3 (good health and well-being); 218 relate to SDG 14 (life below water); 186 relate to SDG 4 (quality education); 125 relate to SDG 1 (no poverty); 81 relate to SDG 5 (gender equality); 30 relate to SDG 10 (reduced inequalities); and 12 relate to SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).

Additional details on these activities and how they relate to specific SDG targets will be added to the database, which is still being developed and elaborated.

Some of the highlights from the accompanying analysis include that:

• all countries mention renewable energy in their NDCs, making SDG 7 the most strongly linked one with national climate plans;
• agricultural practices and food security are among the most common themes mentioned, with climate-smart agriculture (CSA) identified as critical to ending hunger (SDG 2);
• since forests and soils are major carbon sinks, many NDC climate actions focus on SDG 15-related issues, including forest management, afforestation and ecosystem conservation;
• SDG 9 is at the intersection of infrastructure, energy and housing, with many climate activities focused on building new and resilient infrastructure and upgrading existing infrastructure;
• many of the climate activities relate to reducing climate-induced health risks and controlling the spread of waterborne diseases during climate-related disasters (SDG 3);
• mitigation and adaptation links are highlighted in many SDG 6 themes, such as water supply and sanitation, water security and water-use efficiency, recycling and safe wastewater management;
• SDG 12-related actions focus on recycling and waste reduction;
• actions related to SDG 14 focus most commonly on coastal management and protection, and fisheries; and
• more than 86% of NDCs include activities corresponding to SDG 17, such as financial resource mobilization, capacity building, research and technology cooperation.

The analysis also points out that only a few NDC climate actions explicitly refer to gender issues (SDG 5), despite the fact that women are responsible for securing water, food and energy for cooking and heating, and suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change. In addition, while political stability and peace are necessary for sustained and successful climate action, SDG 16-related issues are barely mentioned in the NDCs. [NDC-SDG Connections] [DIE Article]