Blog How Does Climate Change Mitigation Drive the Achievement of the SDGs?
Countering the negative effects of climate change has gone from being an environmental concern to becoming a cross-cutting priority in all development agendas. It is not just a matter of reducing greenhouse gas emissions; it also represents an opportunity to drive sustainable development and thus improve people's quality of life.
Climate change mitigation can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in many ways. The 17 goals, adopted by all UN member states in 2015, cover a wide range of global challenges ranging from poverty to peace and justice. Although the SDGs cover different areas, climate action has the ability to positively influence many of them.
It is estimated that actions to mitigate climate change could contribute up to 80% to the achievement of the SDG targets. A clear example is the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices that not only reduce emissions, but also improve food security (SDG 2: Zero Hunger) and support poverty eradication (SDG 1: No Poverty). In addition, biodiversity conservation (SDG 15: Life on Land) plays a crucial role in mitigating climate impacts by reducing deforestation and preserving carbon sinks.
However, integrating climate action with other development goals is not without its challenges. It is a complex process that requires careful planning and a strategic approach. For example, biodiversity conservation may conflict with agricultural production, highlighting the need for policies that balance these priorities without compromising either economic development or environmental preservation.
“There has been a lot of talk about how climate action, and specifically climate change mitigation, can have negative effects on some aspects of sustainable development. This is possible. However, there are also many opportunities for synergies,” explains Augusto Castro, Senior Scientist in the Alliance's 'Low-Emissions Food Systems' research team.
Learn more about these interrelationships in the following video:
Given these connections, the 'Low-emissions food systems' team is building a conceptual framework to integrate climate action with the SDGs. “Based on our work to integrate climate change mitigation efforts with biodiversity conservation and peacebuilding, we have been developing and testing a framework to align these initiatives,” says Castro. This approach facilitates the formulation of coherent and coordinated policies, optimizes the use of resources and maximizes positive impacts on multiple dimensions of sustainable development, from poverty reduction to the preservation of natural ecosystems.
Climate change mitigation is not an isolated or exclusively technical task; it is a cross-cutting axis that cuts across aspects of sustainable development and can accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. While integrating diverse priorities presents challenges, it also offers opportunities to create synergies that promote global well-being.
This document was produced thanks to the support of the CGIAR initiatives, AgriLAC Resiliente and Mitigate+: Research for Low Emissions Food Systems, and the project 18_III_106_COL_A_Sustainable Production Strategies, "Implementation of Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Systems for Simultaneous Targeting of Forest Conservation for Climate Change Mitigation (REDD+) and Peace Building in Colombia", which is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.
Researchers
Augusto Castro-Nunez
Senior Scientist Low-Emissions Food Systems
