Page 3 - SDGs - An imperative for climate action
P. 3
SDGs
AN IMPERATIVE FOR
CLIMATE ACTION
Mrinal M Mathur, Fellow, TERI
This paper examines the historical progression of the important global developments and climate change agendas as well as
throws light on the interface between climate change and sustainable development. The paper
w studies the parallel evolution of the two debates and convergence under SDGs;
w discusses whether action for climate change is stronger than action for sustainable development and assesses governance
in India, Fiji, and Germany in this light;
w emphasizes that developed nations take the lead to account for historical emissions and consumption patterns;
w concludes that nations may have divergent priorities, and implementation of all global goals and targets may take
different routes and timelines;
w concludes that good governance mechanisms are essential for implementing SDGs;
w stresses the need to integrate climate action within the sustainable development agenda; and
w stresses that climate impacts and sustainable development are not only interdependent but have similar implementation
timelines. Therefore, common governance and implementation mechanism may prove to be highly effective.
Historically, the concept of environment and concepts of needs and planetary limits. The 1992 Earth
development gained momentum through the United Summit in Rio saw the adoption of Agenda 21, a non-
Nations in the 1970s and countries agreed that both binding action plan for sustainable development.
development and environment can be brought together
under the same umbrella. In the Stockholm Conference It is known that the Earth’s climate has changed
of 1972, the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs Indira throughout history.3 However, the current warming
Gandhi, in her speech brought forth the links between trends, since the mid-20th century, are a result of
environment, population, and development, stating human activity (greater than 95% probability), and
that “it is an oversimplification to blame all of the scientists were able to say with conviction that the
world’s problems on increasing population.” The industrial revolution, which propagated the use of
speech suggested that “ecology and conservation will conventional sources of fuels, is largely responsible for
not work against their (peoples’) interest but will bring global warming. Apart from Agenda 21, the year 1992
an improvement in their lives.” also saw the birth of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The year
The concept of ‘sustainable development’ gained 1998 saw the adoption of the first phase of the Kyoto
momentum around the same time. The Club of Rome Protocol that legally bound developed country Parties
used the term ‘sustainable development’ in 1972 as part to emission reduction targets under the principle of
of their publication, Limits to Growth.1 The publication Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR).
recognizes that interdependence between various In 2015, the historic Paris Agreement marks the latest
components of the world systems is an important factor step in the evolution of the UN climate change (CC)
for development. Subsequently, the sustainability regime and builds on the work undertaken under the
debate was strengthened further by the Brundtland UNFCCC while charting a new course in the global
Commission Report in 1983 that provided a largely effort to combat climate change.
accepted definition of sustainability2 and defined the
Since the beginning of the sustainable development
1 The Limits to Growth report used five indicators of population, food debate, the negative impacts of the use of conventional
production, industrialization, pollution, and consumption of non renewable energy sources have been a significant part of the
natural resource to create a world model using system dynamics as a tool.
3 According to NASA, just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven
2 The classic definition of sustainable development is development that cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era.
generations to meet their own needs (Source: Brundtland Commission
Report).
1
AN IMPERATIVE FOR
CLIMATE ACTION
Mrinal M Mathur, Fellow, TERI
This paper examines the historical progression of the important global developments and climate change agendas as well as
throws light on the interface between climate change and sustainable development. The paper
w studies the parallel evolution of the two debates and convergence under SDGs;
w discusses whether action for climate change is stronger than action for sustainable development and assesses governance
in India, Fiji, and Germany in this light;
w emphasizes that developed nations take the lead to account for historical emissions and consumption patterns;
w concludes that nations may have divergent priorities, and implementation of all global goals and targets may take
different routes and timelines;
w concludes that good governance mechanisms are essential for implementing SDGs;
w stresses the need to integrate climate action within the sustainable development agenda; and
w stresses that climate impacts and sustainable development are not only interdependent but have similar implementation
timelines. Therefore, common governance and implementation mechanism may prove to be highly effective.
Historically, the concept of environment and concepts of needs and planetary limits. The 1992 Earth
development gained momentum through the United Summit in Rio saw the adoption of Agenda 21, a non-
Nations in the 1970s and countries agreed that both binding action plan for sustainable development.
development and environment can be brought together
under the same umbrella. In the Stockholm Conference It is known that the Earth’s climate has changed
of 1972, the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs Indira throughout history.3 However, the current warming
Gandhi, in her speech brought forth the links between trends, since the mid-20th century, are a result of
environment, population, and development, stating human activity (greater than 95% probability), and
that “it is an oversimplification to blame all of the scientists were able to say with conviction that the
world’s problems on increasing population.” The industrial revolution, which propagated the use of
speech suggested that “ecology and conservation will conventional sources of fuels, is largely responsible for
not work against their (peoples’) interest but will bring global warming. Apart from Agenda 21, the year 1992
an improvement in their lives.” also saw the birth of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The year
The concept of ‘sustainable development’ gained 1998 saw the adoption of the first phase of the Kyoto
momentum around the same time. The Club of Rome Protocol that legally bound developed country Parties
used the term ‘sustainable development’ in 1972 as part to emission reduction targets under the principle of
of their publication, Limits to Growth.1 The publication Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR).
recognizes that interdependence between various In 2015, the historic Paris Agreement marks the latest
components of the world systems is an important factor step in the evolution of the UN climate change (CC)
for development. Subsequently, the sustainability regime and builds on the work undertaken under the
debate was strengthened further by the Brundtland UNFCCC while charting a new course in the global
Commission Report in 1983 that provided a largely effort to combat climate change.
accepted definition of sustainability2 and defined the
Since the beginning of the sustainable development
1 The Limits to Growth report used five indicators of population, food debate, the negative impacts of the use of conventional
production, industrialization, pollution, and consumption of non renewable energy sources have been a significant part of the
natural resource to create a world model using system dynamics as a tool.
3 According to NASA, just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven
2 The classic definition of sustainable development is development that cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era.
generations to meet their own needs (Source: Brundtland Commission
Report).
1
