United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Achievement Research Paper

Introduction

The contemporary world is facing multiple challenges, the neglect of which might lead to devastating outcomes harmful to all humanity. The United Nations (UN) has launched a holistic global initiative to mitigate the most significant risks and prevent atrocities to ensure the survival and longevity of the human race in a safe environment. For that matter, specific sustainable development goals (SDGs) were developed to be achieved by 2030 in order to address the tentative problems impacting the planet. According to the UN’s definition, SDGs “are the blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all” (“Sustainable development goals,” n. d., para. 1). There are seventeen goals in general, each aimed at combating a particular problem.

The achievement of these goals has been jeopardized by the latest political and economic developments, including COVID-19 and the Ukraine war, which is why alterations in the plans for goals’ achievement should be implemented. This paper is focused on the investigation of the UN’s efforts aimed at achieving Goal 13 Climate Action by identifying factors hindering its achievement and possible actions capable of addressing these factors. It is claimed that due to the war’s and pandemic’s economic burden on the global community and separate countries, the achievement of Goal 13 by 2030 will be impossible unless the risks are mitigated.

Overview of UN’s SDG 13

While the world has been facing certain challenges at the time of setting the goals, the global events of the latest years have been particularly challenging for the UN’s accomplishment of its long-term tasks. In December 2015, countries agreed on the seventeen SDGs as a priority of the international community in the common action to achieve a better future (United Nations [UN], 2022c). One of the most significant goals is Goal 13, which addresses climate action, and has been highlighted during the Paris Agreement on climate change. According to the UN, this goal entails the facilitation, promotion, and initiation of local and global actions to mitigate climate change (“Goal 13,” n.d.). The goal is justified by the disruptive statistics indicating that “in 2021, the global mean temperature was about 1.1°C above the pre-industrial level” (“Goal 13,” n. d., para. 5). Moreover, “with the phasing out of COVID-related restrictions, energy-related CO2 emissions for 2021 rose by 6 percent, reaching their highest level ever” (“Goal 13,” n. d., para. 7). These indicators are associated with the evidence-based projections that billions of people will be at risk of displacement due to droughts, ecosystems’ functioning will be disrupted, and the safety of living on the planet will be at risk. Thus, the overall goal is to prevent global warming by implementing emission-elimination practices.

A specific objective set by the Paris Agreement is the achievement of a particular level of average rise in temperature. Indeed, “to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, global greenhouse gas emissions will need to peak before 2025” and then “decline by 43 percent by 2030 and to net zero by 2050” (“Goal 13,” n. d., para. 4). When developing the goal’s specific targets, the UN addresses the differences in developed and developing countries capacity in combating climate change and presents planned actions for mobilizing resources for common goal achievement. Indeed, the first target is to facilitate all countries’ resilience and adaptability in the face of climate change. The second target is the integration of climate change policies into national strategies and laws; the third target implies education and improvement for a long-term commitment. The fourth target deals with the accumulation of joint $100 billion annually to be spent on climate action (“Goal 13,” n. d., para. 8). Finally, the goal’s target is the promotion of mechanisms in developing countries to enable vulnerable communities’ response to climate change.

Therefore, the goal requires the mobilization of resources from developed countries to enable global change through the empowerment of the least developed states and communities. Far-reaching and holistic policies should be implemented, properly maintained, and adjusted to achieve the goal throughout the different sectors of the economy and social life. For that matter, the UN has been committed to deliberate decision-making and promotion of local and global action to ensure that Goal 13 is achieved. Specific efforts of the UN are examined and discussed in the next section of the paper.

UN’s Efforts to Achieve Goal 13 of the SDGs

Once the countries have committed to the achievement of the climate action goal, multiple efforts have been made in this direction. In particular, the UN has established a requirement for governments’ climate adaptation planning (Fuldauer et al., 2022). In response to this requirement, the 197 countries involved in the Paris Agreement have initiated their planning efforts (Fuldauer et al., 2022). In addition, annual climate conferences are held under the guidance of the UN to articulate the tentative issues on the path to the achievement of Goal 13 and find solutions to them (UN, 2022b). As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, additional efforts were made to reinforce climate-related actions in the impacted countries. In particular, the UN set recommendations for instilling green transition, green economy, and green employment, as well as investment into sustainable sectors and initiatives (“Goal 13,” n. d.). Thus, promotional and awareness-raising work has been actively implemented to boost the achievement of the goal.

Furthermore, while developed countries have started implementing climate-change policies, their additional actions have been aimed at supporting developing states in their efforts to move toward Goal 13 achievement. Indeed, as stated by the UN official resource, “the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance is focused on supporting developing countries on the road to meeting the SDGs” (UN, 2022a, para. 2). The work of the Alliance indicates some deliberate actions that demonstrate movement toward the desired goal, although the pace of the obtained changes is lower than expected. For example, the Alliance embarks “on new initiatives, launching a transformational blended finance platform that will allow for co-investment in sustainable infrastructure projects” (UN, 2022a, para. 8). Similar financing initiatives have been implemented alongside public consultations and sustainability disclosure of companies. In particular, these efforts are aimed at boosting the financing via long-term private sector investment in sustainable development.

Developed countries strive to instill visible changes in their policies to attain the climate action goal. Forrest protection, plastic ban, development of alternative energy resources, and investments in sustainable development innovation are some of the actions made by separate countries aimed at the delivery of the goal (UN, 2022b). However, despite the examples of active implementation of initiatives, the predominant part of work is based on planning, which is now claimed to be shifting toward immediate implementation due to the emergency of climate problems (UN, 2022b). Numerous challenges on a global and local scale complicate the achievement of the goals’ targets, which will be addressed in the next section of the paper.

Reasons for the Impossibility to Achieve Goal 13 by 2030

The UN’s goal of implementing the targets of climate action cannot be achieved by 2030 due to the omnipresence of restricting factors and the delays in accomplishing the planned efforts. In particular, the leadership of the UN states that the most significant reason for the delays in plan implementation is the lack of sufficient investment (UN, 2019). The Secretary General of the UN stated that the organization faces “a $2.5 trillion annual SDG investment gap — a gap that is all the more acute in the world’s most vulnerable countries and regions” (UN, 2019, para. 3). If the situation does not change to a more efficient and active investment into the sustainable development sectors, the achievement of the goals will be impossible. Moreover, the current level of achievements in the climate change area is insufficient and does not match the anticipated rates planned by the UN. Indeed, as experts state, “under current global net-zero commitments, emissions are still projected to increase by almost 14% over the next decade” (Ellerbeck, 2022, para. 16). Thus, the world is on the verge of a climate catastrophe, and the rate with which countries confront the risk factors is not enough to fulfill the ambitious plans of the UN.

The advancement of business in the area of sustainable development in general and climate action, in particular, faces significant obstacles. Indeed, as stated by the Secretary General of the UN, for businesses to invest in sustainable sectors, they must be sure that the investment will return (UN, 2019). However, with the omnipresence of additional challenges and the high rates of food insecurity, poverty, conflict, and other crises that diverge the climate-focused efforts and resources from the goal, its achievement is jeopardized (Ellerbeck, 2022). Resource availability and underfinancing of the initiatives on a global and local scale do not allow the UN to fulfill the targeted global warming stabilization. This problem is particularly caused by the economic and social challenges imposed by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide implications of the war in Ukraine.

Goal Achievement Obstacles Associated with COVID-19 and War in Ukraine

The obstacles and attainability of the SDGs have been significant at the onset of goal-setting. However, COVID-19, which brought significant economic crises and social emergencies, and the war in Ukraine, which complicated energy sector functioning and resource use, have obstructed the opportunities of achieving the goals as initially planned. The achievement of Goal 13 by the global community is largely predetermined by the availability, mobility, and sufficiency of financial resources. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the conventional work of multiple sectors of the economy beyond healthcare due to the rises in employment and poverty rates. According to Leal Filho et al. (2022), “one consequence is that the pandemic has made it even harder to mobilize the financial resources and fund climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in particular” (p. 2). Thus, with the shift of funding priorities from climate to healthcare and economic survival, the achievement of Goal 13 has been postponed during the pandemic.

The stagnation of the proper functioning of multiple sectors of the economy has been one of the most impactful reasons for economic crises. The pandemic caused a significant shortage of jobs in the manufacturing, educational, agricultural, and other sectors, which significantly jeopardized the economies (Leal Filho et al., 2022). More specifically, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of the healthcare system and overall infrastructure in the face of an emergency. Additional investment became obvious to improve the systems and supply chains to improve health crisis management capacity. Consequently, the funding that was already challenging to obtain (namely $100 billion of annual joint investment of the UN countries) was further jeopardized (Leal Filo et al., 2022). Thus, COVID-19 has diverted the focus of the global community from climate issues and set humanity at high risk.

Moreover, the intensification of the war in Ukraine has further complicated the global economic and safety situation due to the complexity of resource allocation to SDGs accomplishment. In particular, as stated by Pereira et al. (2022), the Russian-Ukrainian war has negatively impacted the environment, economy, and society not only of the countries directly involved in the conflict but also the whole global community. In particular, the availability of energy resources has been complicated due to the sanctions against Russia, as well as the exportation of food resources from Ukraine has been obstructed. Since the world’s supply chain is dependent on the countries involved in the conflict, it is evident that the global community has to relocate their funding to meet their energy and food needs under the impact of the war (Pereira et al., 2022). Thus, the financial investment priorities have been changed, and the flow of funds into climate action initiatives has dropped. Moreover, given the inflation and adverse economic processes, the costs of the planned actions in agreement with Goal 13 have risen. Indeed, as stated by Ellerbeck (2022), “the cost of meeting the targets to fight such issues rose 25% to $176 trillion over the past year, reports Reuters, with performance on several measures reversing” (para. 3.). Thus, the latest developments in the war in Ukraine have imposed additional obstacles for the achievement of Goal 13.

Nonetheless, the leadership of the UN remains committed to the set priorities and considers that the complexity of modern times and the deriving crises only reinforce the need for the deliberate pursuit of SDGs. Indeed, according to the statement of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “comprehensive healthcare, meaningful climate action, biodiversity protection – these cannot be left for tomorrow” (UN, 2022c, para. 5).

Possible Actions to Overcome Obstacles

Despite the above-mentioned complexities and obstacles, the current situation can still be changed. Experts state that “OECD nations’ climate finance contributions have increased in recent years, from USD 58.6 billion in 2016 to USD 78.9 billion in 2018, showing a favorable trend toward achieving the target” (Leal Filho et al., 2022, p. 2). Thus, there are positive changes that should be reinforced by deliberate decision-making. In particular, it has been detected that “national governments typically tailor adaptation plans according to their national circumstances and interpret the SDGs and Paris Agreement based on their level of development” (Fuldauer et al., 2022, p. 2). However, scholars propose a more holistic and international approach that would “consider nations’ differences in resources and geography” that would enable alignment of national adaptation planning (Fuldauer et al., 2022, p. 2). It might be possible to achieve this by engaging the countries in regional commitments, within which the countries would disseminate the resources beyond national needs.

Furthermore, the initiatives in terms of investment attraction that have already been introduced should be reinforced and implemented in an immediate manner. Indeed, the efforts of the GISD Alliance aimed at attracting finances toward sustainable sectors should become imperative (UN, 2022a). Despite the burden of post-COVID and Ukraine war implications, the global community should remain committed to the accomplishment of climate action goals, which should be promoted via the arrangement of local projects engaging small- and medium-sized businesses. They should be involved in finding innovative solutions for emission reduction and climate change adaptation. Additional funding should be allocated to developing countries since they face the highest rate of the burden of climate challenges due to poverty (UN, 2022b). Thus, more action-focused efforts should be instilled in an imperative and cooperative manner to enable the achievement of the goal.

Advice to the UN Secretary-General on Goal 13

While COVID-19 has been a source of the most significant complications and financial burdens on the UN in its attempt to achieve the climate action goal, the experience in its handling might be helpful. Indeed, the consolidation of global efforts, rapid solutions, and adaptation to the new reality demonstrated the capacity of the global community to handle crises (Leal Filho et al., 2022). For that matter, I would advise the UN Secretary-General to highlight not only the threats and risks faced by humanity under the burden of the climate crises but to demonstrate the paths toward positive change by empowering the communities worldwide. To consolidate the efforts of the people, the UN’s public policy should be shifted toward encouragement and empowerment through the demonstration of the achievements people around the world have already endured. In such a manner, the dissemination of a positive message will ensure faster and more successful implementation of the actions proposed in the previous section of the paper. It will ultimately enable the UN to achieve Goal 13.

Conclusion

Although the achievement of Goal 13 is impossible under the current circumstances, a timely and consolidated response to the economic and social obstacles caused by COVID-19 and the Ukraine war will enable the targets’ accomplishment. Today, the world is facing a significant threat of failing to protect the environment and ensure the sustainable development of economies. The irreversible damage has already been caused to multiple ecosystems that have led to floods, droughts, poverty, hunger, and other adverse outcomes that hinder the safety and well-being of the current and future generations. The UN has been focusing on the elimination of the threats by setting 17 SDGs, the achievement of which in a timely manner is likely to mitigate the negative outcomes and ensure a more sustainable future for the planet. In this regard, the analyzed Goal 13, which is focused on climate action, plays a significant role since the handling of climate change might prevent an array of ultimate atrocities in the world.

However, through the investigation of the actions that have already been implemented to achieve this goal and the current circumstances and factors impacting it, it was claimed that the achievement of Goal 13 would be impossible. Due to the far-reaching economic implications of the COVID-19 crisis and the adverse impacts of the Ukraine war on the global economy, the financialization of Goal 13 is insufficient. Moreover, the attention of the global community is drawn to the seemingly more tentative issues while climate action becomes neglected. For that reason, to ensure the achievement of this goal, the UN should ensure practical implementation of its theoretical propositions related to the increase of investment, involvement of the private sector, and engagement of small- and medium-sized businesses in long-term investments for climate action.

References

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