New UN global goals for sustainable development now include climate change.

Global transition

CAN Europe warns: they may fail to deliver without successful climate deal in Paris.

Today, at the 70th UN General Assembly, the members of the United Nations will adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda will succeed the current Millennium Development Goals and will cover the next 15 years. Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe links the new goals to the urgency of climate change.

The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are a set of 17 global goals with 169 targets to guide the world’s 7 billion citizens and their governments on a path towards more equitable and sustainable development within our planet’s boundaries. CAN Europe welcomes the inclusion of tackling climate change and its impacts as an inherent part of the SDGs, both through a specific goal (no.13) and cutting across the other goals and targets.

If we are unable to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change, the achievement of the SDGs will be severely undermined. Therefore, a strong and ambitious agreement at the Climate Summit in Paris this December will be an important first step towards international action on  the SDGs, and on the climate change goal in particular. The EU should be a leader of this international action and implementation.

Wendel Trio, director of CAN Europe said:

“With the adoption of the SDGs, we are moving into the next era of sustainable development where tackling climate change will be a pre-requisite to achieving the SDGs. The ambitions and challenges of Agenda 2030 have presented to the world the sheer urgency to combat climate change.” 

“Our governments need to advance towards the Paris Summit with a clear, ambitious vision for phasing out the main cause of climate change, the burning of polluting fossil fuels, and phasing in 100% renewable energy, while increasing support to poor people to adapt to climate impacts.”

Contact

Wendel Trio, CAN Europe Director, wendel@caneurope.org, +32 473 170 887

 

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