Halfway to the deadline for the 2030 Agenda, only 15 percent of SDG targets are on track. The climate crisis is worsening as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Catastrophic and intensifying heat waves, droughts, flooding and wildfires have become far too frequent. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an urgent course correction, stating that climate action is the 21st century's greatest opportunity to drive forward all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This report demonstrates that aggressively acting on climate and development in an integrated and synergistic way is an important opportunity to achieve the course correction the UN secretary-general has called for. It highlights some of the challenges, but also the opportunities if the international community is seriously committed to enhancing these synergies and thereby addressing these challenges.
The report is designed to provide a broad overview of available data and evidence, insights from experts on the frontlines, and recommendations for enhancing synergistic action across the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. This first edition will form the basis for future iterations, which will entail a wider scope of sectors, and thematic areas and deep dives on specific issues pertaining to strengthening and operationalizing synergic climate and SDG actions at all levels.