Synergies of climate action ('co-benefits') and the link to the Sustainable Developement Goals (SDGs)
- Climate Change poses a severe threat, with risk being lower at 1.5°C than at 2°C or higher temperature increases.
- Avoiding these severe risks is still feasible, but requires cutting global CO2 emissions by about half by 2030.
- Climate change impacts as well as climate change mitigation are closely linked to sustainable development; on one side climate change threatens to wipe out progress made with regard to sustainable development and poverty reduction, on the other side there is potential for synergies between achieving sustainable development objectives and climate change mitigation action.
A summary of some of the main messages from the SR1.5 and its Summary for Policy Makers (SPM) can be found here
Even leaving the benefits of reducing dangerous climate impacts aside - there are many more reasons, why it can actually be beneficially for a country to actively engage in climate change mitigation measures.
The figure below shows how a transition to sustainable renewable energy sources in the energy system can create positive synergies (‘co-benefits’) for sustainable development (click to enlarge).
Focusing on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), these factsheets compile country-specific information on:
- potential for synergies (‘co-benefits’) of sustainable development objectives and climate change mitigation through energy-system transformation
- indicators of current status of selected sustainable development aspects linked to energy
- local job opportunities from transitioning towards sustainable renewable energy sources
- affordability of electricity from renewable energy (RE): Cost trends for solar and wind power
- current energy system status and trends in recent socio-economic development
- impacts of climate change and tools to assess the local risks
- the current status in comparison to other regions and the world
The figure below from the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C (Figure SPM.4) confirms that climate action is strongly linked to sustainable development (click to enlarge). It illustrates that there are many potential synergies, i.e. positive effects of climate change mitigation action, with regard to a variety of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). It also identifies certain trade-offs that may arise which will need carefull management to reduce these poetntial negative side effects. While the total number of possible synergies is higher than the number of potential trade-offs, it will depend on the design of mitigation policies chosen, the local circumstances and the management of the transition whether the potential for positive synergies is exploited and the overall impact is positive. The IPCC states that particularly in the energy-demand sector, the potential for synergies is larger than for trade-offs.
Figure SPM.4: Potential synergies and trade-offs between the sectoral portfolio of climate change mitigation options and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs serve as an analytical framework for the assessment of the different sustainable development dimensions, which extend beyond the time frame of the 2030 SDG targets. The assessment is based on literature on mitigation options that are considered relevant for 1.5°C. The assessed strength of the SDG interactions is based on the qualitative and quantitative assessment of individual mitigation options listed in Table 5.2. For each mitigation option, the strength of the SDG-connection as well as the associated confidence of the underlying literature (shades of green and red) was assessed. The strength of positive connections (synergies) and negative connections (trade-offs) across all individual options within a sector (see Table 5.2) are aggregated into sectoral potentials for the whole mitigation portfolio. The (white) areas outside the bars, which indicate no interactions, have low confidence due to the uncertainty and limited number of studies exploring indirect effects. The strength of the connection considers only the effect of mitigation and does not include benefits of avoided impacts. SDG 13 (climate action) is not listed because mitigation is being considered in terms of interactions with SDGs and not vice versa. The bars denote the strength of the connection, and do not consider the strength of the impact on the SDGs. The energy demand sector comprises behavioural responses, fuel switching and efficiency options in the transport, industry and building sector as well as carbon capture options in the industry sector. Options assessed in the energy supply sector comprise biomass and non-biomass renewables, nuclear, CCS with bio-energy, and CCS with fossil fuels. Options in the land sector comprise agricultural and forest options, sustainable diets & reduced food waste, soil sequestration, livestock & manure management, reduced deforestation, afforestation & reforestation, responsible sourcing. In addition to this figure, options in the ocean sector are discussed in the underlying report.
