June 2019: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has published a background note in preparation for the review of SDG 13 (climate action) that will take place during the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The publication notes that progress on SDG 13 is falling short of what is needed to meet the global targets by 2030, and invites reflection on key areas of focus.

The HLPF will conduct in-depth reviews of SDGs 4 (quality education), 8 (decent work and economic growth), 10 (reduced inequalities), 13, 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (partnerships for the Goals) during the July 2019 HLPF. The SDG 13 review is scheduled for 12 July.

Citing the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the background note for the review mentions that 2018 was the fourth warmest year on record, with the past four years (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018) being the four warmest years on record, and the world continues to experience rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions and increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The note emphasizes that achieving the SDGs will be “much more challenging” without urgent climate action, including achievement of the Goals related to poverty (SDG 1), hunger (SDG 2), access to water (SDG 6), terrestrial and marine ecosystems (SDGs 14 and 15), health (SDG 3) and gender equality (SDG 5).

At the same time, the background note highlights, many of the SDGs and their targets can be pursued in specific ways that would enable adaptive responses to climate change. For example, the energy transitions envisaged in SDG 7 would contribute significantly to lowering GHG emissions, while sustainable industrialization under SDG 9, sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices under SDG 2, and changing patterns of consumption and production (SCP) in line with SDG 12 could contribute to low-emission pathways, green jobs creation, and long-term progress towards eradicating poverty.

To inform discussion during the HLPF’s in-depth review, the publication identifies main trends related to SDG 13, including that:

• Countries are making efforts to adopt and implement national and local disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for DRR by 2020, with 50 countries having reported the status of national and local strategies through the online Sendai Framework Monitoring system, to date;
• As of 27 February 2019, 182 Parties had communicated their first nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the UNFCCC, with one Party having communicated its second NDC;
• Global climate finance flows in the period 2015-2016 were 17% higher than in the period 2013-2014;
• As of 20 May 2019, 28 countries have accessed Green Climate Fund (GCF) grant financing for the formulation of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and other adaptation planning processes, with a value of USD 75 million, of which 67% is for the least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing States (SIDS), and African States; and
• In total, 75 countries are seeking support from the GCF for NAPs and other adaptation planning processes, with a combined value of USD 191 million.

The background note invites reflection on key focus areas for synergistic implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change, gaps in the focus on these issues, and “low-hanging fruits” at the global, regional and local levels that could enable an exponential increase in ambition for climate action.

The publication further observes that 2019 offers an “unprecedented opportunity” to address both climate change ambition and the 2030 Agenda, by leveraging a series of high-level events to raise ambition for climate action: the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit; the in-depth review of SDG 13 at the July HLPF and of all SDGs at the SDG Summit in September; the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); the high-level review of the SAMOA Pathway; and the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP 25). [Publication: Background Note: Discussion on SDG 13 – Climate Action]