Climate change is a key challenge with regard to sustainable development. The warming of the earth’s atmosphere is triggering changes in the global climate system that threaten the livelihoods of large sections of the population in less developed countries, while infrastructure and certain economic sectors in particular are vulnerable to the risks of climate change in developed regions. Furthermore, changes in precipitation and temperature cycles are also affecting ecosystems such as forests, agricultural land, mountain regions and oceans, as well as the plants, animals and people that live in them. Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased by over 50% between 1990 and 2012.
Goal 13 calls on countries to incorporate climate protection measures in their national policies and assist each other in responding to the challenges at hand. It acknowledges that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change. Supplementing this dialogue, Goal 13 advocates strengthening resilience to climate-related natural disasters and reaffirms the commitment undertaken by developed countries to mobilise each year USD 100 billion jointly from all sources by 2020 to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*
13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
