13 July 2016: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change offer a policy mandate and opportunities to achieve zero extreme poverty, zero net climate emissions and zero losses of natural assets, according to a paper by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI) and the Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP). The paper reviews trends that impact this ‘triple vision’ of getting to zero, discusses challenges that impact getting to zero, and proposes four actions and next steps on getting to zero.
The paper indicates that poverty, environment and climate issues are highly political but initiatives to address them tend to be technocratic and limited by finance, governance and political rules. It calls for redefining the poverty, environment and climate narrative, suggesting key messages and reflecting on challenges. On trends that impact getting to zero, the paper discusses: economic and business trends; social trends; poverty and inequality trends; environmental and climate trends; and development assistance and financing trends.
On challenges, the paper highlights, inter alia: the relationship between income inequality and poor peoples’ dependence on natural capital, which increases their vulnerability to climate change; and a lack of enabling conditions and structural barriers that limit progress in tackling poverty, environment and climate problems.
On actions for getting to zero, the paper identifies four concrete actions. First, it recommends increasing empowerment and rights by recognizing, empowering and engaging poor people to ensure they are effective agents and rights-holders in their own future. Second, the paper suggests developing integrated, inclusive and transformative institutions, including ones that address collective action on systemic risks and opportunities. Third, the paper identifies options for inclusive finance and business, including reforming public and private investment and engaging with people and environments marginalized by current policy. Fourth, the paper calls for new messages and metrics that improve and align poverty, environment and climate messages, narratives and metrics to inspire widespread understanding of the issues and to galvanize and measure progress.
On next steps, the paper suggests: conducting a readiness assessment in support of getting to zero and implementing the SDGs; identifying opportunities for mainstreaming poverty, environment and climate actions for the SDGs, including a guidance tool on measurement of successful mainstreaming and integration of the SDGs; integrating institutions and capacity for the SDGs at the national level; and engaging civil society and business for the SDGs through a whole of society approach.
It further recommends: tackling finance issues to link poverty, environment and climate issues, including defining climate finance and delivering on finance at local levels; and providing knowledge useful for practitioners and promoting effective communications and outreach strategies to ensure continued prioritization of the SDGs. The paper indicates that PEP and like-minded organizations will support these proposed reforms through key activities. [Publication: Getting to Zero] [Publication Website]