Climate Action
Climate Action, represented by SDG 13, addresses the urgent need to take comprehensive and collective actions to combat climate change and its devastating effects on the planet and its inhabitants. This SDG recognizes that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, have led to an alarming increase in greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in global warming and climate disruptions.
What is Climate Action?
Climate Action, represented by SDG 13, addresses the urgent need to take comprehensive and collective actions to combat climate change and its devastating effects on the planet and its inhabitants. This SDG recognizes that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, have led to an alarming increase in greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in global warming and climate disruptions.
Climate Action seeks to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and, if possible, to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Achieving this ambitious goal requires immediate and sustained efforts from all countries and communities worldwide.
Definition of Climate Action
Climate Action Initiatives
Climate Resilience Planning
Climate resilience planning is a proactive approach to prepare communities and infrastructure for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. As the effects of global warming intensify, communities face increased risks from extreme weather events, sea-level rise, droughts, and other climate-related challenges.
Initiatives aimed at enhancing climate resilience involve comprehensive risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies to adapt to changing climatic conditions.
Sustainable Transport Solutions
Programs promoting public transportation, cycling, walking, and electric mobility to reduce emissions from the transportation sector, a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable transport solutions are vital for achieving Climate Action goals, as the transportation sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. These initiatives aim to shift away from traditional fossil fuel-dependent modes of transportation and encourage the adoption of eco-friendly alternatives
Reforestation and Afforestation
Projects aimed at increasing forest cover and restoring degraded ecosystems to sequester carbon dioxide and enhance biodiversity, acting as natural carbon sinks.
Reforestation and afforestation initiatives are essential components of Climate Action, aimed at combating deforestation and restoring degraded landscapes to their natural state. Deforestation, primarily driven by human activities such as logging and land conversion, has significantly contributed to greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of biodiversity.
Why Climate Action is Important
Well-Being of Present and Future Generations
Climate change poses significant risks to human health, livelihoods, and overall well-being. Extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and changing precipitation patterns can lead to more frequent and severe natural disasters, such as hurricanes, droughts, and floods. These events can displace communities, destroy infrastructure, and disrupt access to essential services, including food, water, and healthcare.
Addressing Climate Changes
Climate change is primarily driven by human activities that release greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere. These emissions trap heat and lead to global warming, resulting in various climate changes, including altered weather patterns, more frequent and intense heat waves, and disruptions to ecosystems.
Rising Sea Levels
Rising sea levels are a direct consequence of climate change, primarily caused by the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers and the thermal expansion of seawater due to warmer temperatures. Rising sea levels pose severe threats to coastal communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
By taking Climate Action, we can slow down the rate of global warming and the associated melting of ice sheets, thus mitigating the impacts of rising sea levels. Additionally, climate resilience planning becomes essential to adapt to and cope with the inevitable consequences of sea-level rise.
Climate Action Statistics
90% of the increase in energy
Non-climatic anthropogenic drivers will continue to increase the exposure and vulnerability of coastal communities to future SLR and ESL events in the absence of major adaptation efforts compared to today. The expected impacts of SLR on coastal ecosystems over the course of the century include habitat contraction, loss of functionality and biodiversity, and lateral and inland migration. Impacts will be exacerbated in cases of land reclamation and where anthropogenic barriers prevent inland migration of marshes and mangroves and limit the availability and relocation of sediment.
100 Million
According to United Nations, the world will witness “a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale”, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as he painted an alarming portrait of the emerging global security crisis that rising sea levels portend. Noting the phenomenon’s impact on lives and livelihoods in regions and ecosystems around the world, from the Caribbean to North Africa to the river basins that lie at the foot of the Himalayas, he said this will lead to ever-fiercer competition for fresh water, land, and other resources.
41.6 Million
Proper housing could increase economic growth by up to 10.5%, while life expectancy could go up by 2.4 years on average, the report said.
"Our findings show massive benefits to people’s health, education, and income when you make sure they live in suitable housing conditions, have access to basic services like running water and sewage systems, and are free from the threat of eviction or harassment," Alexandre Apsan Frediani, a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development, and one of the authors of the report, said in a statement.
Climate Action in the News
Global CO2 emissions rebounded to their highest level in history in 2021
The increase in global CO2 emissions of over 2 billion tonnes was the largest in history in absolute terms, more than offsetting the previous year’s pandemic-induced decline, the IEA analysis shows. The recovery of energy demand in 2021 was compounded by adverse weather and energy market conditions – notably the spikes in natural gas prices – which led to more coal being burned despite renewable power generation registering its largest ever growth.
Climate Change: Global Temperature
The amount of future warming Earth will experience depends on how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases we emit in the coming decades. Today, our activities—burning fossil fuels and clearing forests—add about 11 billion metric tons of carbon (equivalent to a little over 40 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide) to the atmosphere each year. Because that is more carbon than natural processes can remove, atmospheric carbon dioxide increases each year.
On the Frontline of Climate Crisis, Worlds Most Vulnerable Nations Suffer Disproportionately
According to United Nations, having already warmed by 1.1C above pre-industrial levels, the planet is exceedingly close to the 1.5C temperature limit which is a major alarm signal of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The report warns that the scale of human-induced changes across the climate system is “unprecedented” and climate extremes are affecting every region across the globe.
The IPCC’s report also concluded that atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have not been this high in at least 2 million years, and the past decade is likely the hottest the planet has been in 125,000 years.
How to Help Climate Action Initiatives
Advocate for Climate Policies
Support and call for policies and regulations that prioritize climate action and hold governments and businesses accountable for their environmental impact. By actively engaging with policymakers, participating in climate advocacy campaigns, and joining environmental organizations, individuals can influence the development and implementation of effective climate policies that drive transformative change and accelerate the global transition to a sustainable future.
Support Renewable Energy
Invest in and support renewable energy projects and technologies to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon energy system. By investing in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power, individuals can contribute to the expansion of clean energy infrastructure, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and promote sustainable energy solutions that combat climate change.
Raise Awareness
Educate others about climate change and its consequences, inspiring collective action and personal behavioral changes. Through various means such as community workshops, social media campaigns, and educational programs, individuals can disseminate accurate information about climate science, the impacts of global warming, and the urgency of taking Climate Action. By raising awareness, people can motivate others to adopt more sustainable practices, support climate initiatives, and make informed choices that collectively contribute to a greener and more resilient world.
