Unit 16 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

GOALS
Structure
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Objectives
16.3 The concept of Sustainable Development
16.4 Genesis of Sustainable Development Goals
16.5 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
16.6 SDG 13: Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change and its Impacts
16.7 India’s Progress and Preparedness towards SDG 13
16.7.1 National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
16.7.2 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution
16.8 Let Us Sum Up
16.9 Key Words
16.10 Suggested Further Reading/References
16.11 Answers to Check Your Progress

16.1 INTRODUCTION
We can recall from the previous units and can categorically state that climate
change challenges the existence of humanity; it is a reality and calls for urgent
action at the global and national levels. According to UNFCC, “the global nature
of climate change calls for the widest possible cooperation by all countries and
their participation in an effective and appropriate international response, to
accelerate the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions.” In this context,
the year 2015 marked a milestone in humanity’s efforts towards building a
better and more sustainable future for everyone. In 2015 “the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)” were agreed by 193 member states of the United
Nations and complemented by commitments made in the Paris Agreement which
map out a broad spectrum of economic, social and environmental objectives
to be achieved by 2030. “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
having 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169
targets is a global plan of action for people, planet and prosperity”. Among
the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specified in the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, climate change is not only one of the SDGs, but it
impacts most of the other SDGs as well. It is a threat enhancer, with the potential
to negatively affect humanity’s greatest challenges including health, poverty,
hunger, inequality and ecosystem preservation, among others. Addressing
climate change also offers humanity’s greatest chance to positively impact these
goals.
India also adopted two transformative agreements within the span of a few
months: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate
Change Agreement. The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement share the
Security And purpose of creating a more resilient, productive and healthy environment
Development Issues for present and future generations. These two agreements though adopted
separately, nevertheless, share the common goal of building a climate-safe
future that is more sustainable, resilient and prosperous for all. The SDGs are
global goals and they are built upon the erstwhile Millennium Development
Goals. These goals are exhaustive, universal and integrated and emphasize
core areas of poverty and inequality, economic growth, innovation, sustainable
consumption and production, climate change, peace and justice and partnerships.
In this unit, we will discuss the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; the
genesis of Sustainable Development Goals; SDG 13 which demands “urgent
action to combat climate change and its impacts”; and India’s progress and
preparedness for achieving SDG 13.

16.2 OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
•• explain the genesis of sustainable development and sustainable development
goals;
•• discuss the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable
Development Goals;
•• recognise SDG 13- take urgent action to combat climate change and its
impacts; and
•• review India’s progress and preparedness on SDGs 13.

16.3 THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT
The term “Sustainable Development” was first coined in 1972 at the United
Nations Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm. The most
important publication on “Sustainable Development” is the publication by
the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) or the
Bruntland Commission report in 1987 titled “Our Common Future”. The World
Commission on Environment and Development was initiated by the General
Assembly of the United Nations in 1982, and its report, Our Common Future,
was published in 1987. It was chaired by then Prime Minister of Norway, Gro
Harlem Brundtland, thus earning the name the “Brundtland Commission.”
The report was published to link the issues of economic development and
environmental stability and the oft-cited definition of sustainable development
was provided as “development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
(United Nations General Assembly, 1987, p. 43). In other words, it is improving
the quality of life of the present generation without excessive use or abuse of
natural resources, so that they can be preserved for the next generation. Its roots
were in the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment where
326 the conflicts between environment and development were first acknowledged.
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Sustainable
in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (the so-called “Earth Summit”) issued a declaration Development Goals
of principles, a detailed Agenda 21 of desired actions, international agreements
on climate change and biodiversity, and a statement of principles on forests.
Ten years later, in 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg, South Africa, the commitment to sustainable development was
reaffirmed.
Box 16.1: Sustainable Development: From Our Common Future (WCED,
1987)
•• “Humanity can make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs. The concept of sustainable development does
imply limits - not absolute limits but limitations imposed by the present
state of technology and social organization on environmental resources and
by the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human activities. But
technology and social organization can be both managed and improved to
make way for a new era of economic growth. The Commission believes that
widespread poverty is no longer inevitable. Poverty is not only an evil in
itself, but sustainable development requires meeting the basic needs of all
and extending to all the opportunities to fulfil their aspirations for a better
life. A world in which poverty is endemic will always be prone to ecological
and other catastrophes”.
•• “Meeting essential needs requires not only a new era of economic growth
for nations in which the majority are poor but an assurance that those poor
get their fair share of the resources required to sustain that growth. Such
equity would be aided by political systems that secure effective citizen
participation in decision making and by greater democracy in international
decision making”.
•• “Sustainable global development requires that those who are more affluent
adopt lifestyles within the planet’s ecological means - in their use of
energy, for example. Further, rapidly growing populations can increase the
pressure on resources and slow any rise in living standards; thus sustainable
development can only be pursued if population size and growth are in
harmony with the changing productive potential of the ecosystem”.
•• “Yet in the end, sustainable development is not a fixed state of harmony,
but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the
direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and
institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs.
We do not pretend that the process is easy. Painful choices have to be made”.

16.4 GENESIS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

GOALS
In 2000, the Millennium Summit was held in New York, which resulted in the
UN Millennium Declaration. The Millennium Declaration resulted in a set
of targets to be achieved by 2015 that included environmental sustainability,
the eradication of extreme poverty and equality for women, now known as 327
Security And the Millennium Development Goals. In 2000, 189 countries agreed under the
Development Issues umbrella of the United Nations on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
by signing the Millennium Declaration. According to the UN Declaration, the
MDGs were to be achieved in a timeline of 15 years and, thus, they expired in
2015. The MDGs were composed of eight goals: seven social goals (namely
eradicating hunger, promoting education and gender equality, reducing child
mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, creating a
global partnership for development) and one environmental goal (ensuring
environmental sustainability). The MDGs reflected, indeed, the idea at that
time that health and education were crucial drivers of development, thus
sustainability and development were to be achieved by goals mostly focused
on the improvement of individuals’ conditions. The era of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) which mobilized attention on addressing the
challenges of extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease came to an end in
2015.
World Summit on Sustainable Development which was held in Johannesburg
renewed international commitment to the pursuit of sustainable development with
the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI); 2012 resulted in an outcome
document “The Future We Want”. In the document, the States reaffirmed the
commitments to all previous sustainable development agreements, plans and
targets. They also committed to developing a suite of Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) building on the priorities identified in Agenda 21 and the JPOI
and decided to replace the Commission for Sustainable Development with a
‘high-level political forum’ to progress implementation of Agenda 21 and the
JPOI, and the achievement of the SDGs. The Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) were agreed upon at the United Nations in New York in September
2015.

16.5 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT
Since its inception in 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has
provided a blueprint for shared prosperity in a sustainable world. The 17 Goals
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development came into force on 1 January
2016. These SDGs are a “universal set of goals and targets agreed by 194 UN
member states to guide their development policies and initiatives over the next
15 years”. The 2030 Agenda focuses on the “elimination of hunger and reduction
of poverty and inequality (opportunity, resource access, gender, and youth) in
all their forms”. The 2030 Agenda also buttress the Paris Agreement on climate
change by “promoting and facilitating energy efficiency and clean energy”.
It also aims to augment the resilience to extreme weather events and climate
change; protect the habitat and ecosystem; enhance resource use efficiency; and
enable sustainable production and consumption.
If we look at the history of SDGs, the Heads of State and Government
328 representatives, held a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New
York from 25-27th September 2015 and they agreed upon a new 2030 Agenda Sustainable
for Sustainable Development, which was built around 17 goals and 169 targets Development Goals
(UN, 2015). The 2030 Agenda and its seventeen Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are much
broader in scope and ambition, encompassing the eradication of poverty and
hunger and improved health and nutrition; reduction of inequality; the building
of peaceful, just and inclusive societies; the protection of human rights; the
promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; and
the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are:

•• Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere;
•• Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and
promote sustainable agriculture;
•• Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages;
•• Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all;
•• Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls;
•• Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all;
•• Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy
for all;
•• Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full
and productive employment and decent work for all;
•• Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation;
•• Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries;
•• Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable;
•• Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns;
•• Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts;
•• Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
for sustainable development;
•• Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and
reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss;
•• Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable
and inclusive institutions at all levels; and
•• Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global
partnership for sustainable development. 329
Security And The 2030 Agenda advocates “sustainable development in all of its three
Development Issues dimensions, for all countries (developing and developed), based on the
fundamental recognition and protection of human rights, dignity and equity”.
Further, SDGs endeavour to create a suitable environment for “sustainable,
inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for
all, taking into account different levels of national development and capacities”
(http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7808e.pdf). These SDGs are ambitious and universal
and at the same time, they direct towards a path for nations to achieve fair,
equitable, inclusive and environment-friendly development. In other words, we
can say that human and environmental rights underpin the foundation of the
SDGs that demand robust and integrated actions nationally and also charted
out the role of different actors in the process. The SDGs being interdependent
require actions at all levels to attain the development outcomes.
Check Your Progress 1
Note: a) Use the space given below for your answers.
b) Check your answers with those given at the end of the unit.
1. Give an overview of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
……………………………………………………………………………
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2. What are Sustainable Development Goals?
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16.6 SDG 13: TAKE URGENT ACTION TO

COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS
IMPACTS
According to the Sustainable Development Goals Report, 2019, the most urgent
area for action is climate change. There is an urgent need to contain the greenhouse
gases emissions so that the global average temperature doesn’t overshoot 2.0oC.
The impacts of climate change are catastrophic and irreversible; increasing
frequency and magnitude of disasters; ocean acidification; land degradation and
coastal erosion; and loss of biodiversity. Climate change affects the poor and
disadvantaged groups. They have the potential to impact agricultural production
leading to food shortages, famines and hunger. Further, climate change is
projected to displace up to 140 million people by 2050. According to the World
Meteorological Organization, 2018 was the fourth warmest year on record, with
the past four years (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) being the four warmest years on
330
record. The world continues to experience rising sea levels, extreme weather
conditions and increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. Climate change Sustainable
is a cross-cutting and immediate threat to the achievement of the SDGs, and the Development Goals
survival and well-being of island nations and coastal communities. This calls for
urgent and accelerated action by countries as they implement the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development and their commitments to the Paris Agreement on
Climate Change.
Box 16.2: Status and Trends: Climate Change
Climate change is happening right now, and its effects are visible. The global mean
temperature for 2018 is estimated to be 0.99 ± 0.13 °C above the preindustrial
baseline, arctic temperatures exceptionally high relative to a long-term average,
and many countries experienced their warmest year on record. The impacts are
being felt all over the world and addressing these requires a robust two-pronged
approach: reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation planning.
As of February 2019, 185 parties had ratified the Paris Agreement. Parties to the
Paris Agreement are expected to prepare, communicate and maintain successive
nationally determined contributions (NDCs). As of 27 February 2019, 182
Parties (181 countries plus the European Commission) had communicated their
first NDCs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Secretariat (UNFCCC).
Climate action requires efforts on mitigation, adaptation and means of
implementation – climate finance, technology and capacity building. Just as
problems are interrelated, the solutions to poverty, inequality, climate change
and other global challenges are also interlinked. Valuable opportunities exist
to accelerate progress by examining inter-linkages across goals. For example,
tackling climate change requires a shift to clean energy, reversing the trend in
forest loss, and changing our production and consumption patterns. Promoting
sustainable agriculture can help reduce both hunger and poverty since close to
80 per cent of those who are extremely poor live in rural areas. Increasing access
to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene can save millions of lives per year
and improve school attendance.
Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13 Climate Action) commits to take
“urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”, emphasizing the
globally agreed need to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and
adapt to the damages caused by climate change while acknowledging that the
“United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary
international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to
climate change.” The UNFCCC acknowledges that “the global nature of climate
change calls for the widest possible cooperation by all countries and their
participation in an effective and appropriate international response, following
their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and
their social and economic conditions.”
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and implement the Paris
Agreement, developed and developing countries alike will need to transform
their energy systems, ecosystem management, agriculture and land use, urban
management, material use, gender outcomes, health, education, governance
and other areas. Goal 13 in particular focuses on the “urgent action” required 331
Security And to “combat climate change and its impacts”, thus incorporating both climate
Development Issues change mitigation and climate change adaptation. Its scope includes three
targets: 13.1- strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related
hazards and natural disasters in all countries; 13.2- integrate climate change
measures into national policies, strategies, and planning; and 13.3- improve
education, awareness-raising and human institutional capacity on climate
change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
Box 16.3: Global Warming of 1.5°C Special Report
According to the “Global Warming of 1.5°C Special Report” from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world has already
warmed by 1°C, increasing the episodes and intensity of extreme weather
events. The report states that limiting global warming to 1.5°C is still possible
but would require “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in how we manage land,
energy, industry, buildings, transport and cities. Specifically, global net human-
caused emissions of carbon dioxide would need to fall by about 45 per cent
from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching “net zero” around 2050.
Achieving all other SDGs will be much more challenging without urgent climate
action, including those related to poverty, hunger, access to water, terrestrial and
marine ecosystems, health, gender equality and the empowerment of women
and girls, among others. Conversely, many of the goals and targets can also be
achieved in ways that would enable adaptive responses to climate change. The
energy transitions envisaged in SDG 7 would contribute significantly to lowering
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to business-as-usual pathways.
From the perspective of protection of the climate system and GHG emission
reduction, UNFCCC and SDG 13 endeavour to strengthen and augment
resilience and adaptive capacity. The developing countries and low-income
countries in their pursuit of sustainable development, require climate change
interventions, which demand both “financial and technological inputs”.
BOX 16.4: Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its
impacts
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is acknowledged
as the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global
response to climate change.
13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and
natural disasters in all countries.
13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and
planning.
13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional
capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and
early warning.
13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed country Parties to
the UNFCCC to a goal of mobilizing jointly USD100 billion annually
by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries
332 in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on
 implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through Sustainable
its capitalization as soon as possible. Development Goals
13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacities for effective climate change-
related planning and management, in LDCs, including focusing on women,
youth, and local and marginalized communities.
Source: http://www.cisdl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/SDG_13_
Climate_-_Issue_Brief__-_06.09.2016_-Final_-_UNEP.pdf

16.7 INDIA’S PROGRESS AND PREPAREDNESS

TOWARD SDG 13
In the previous section, you have got an idea of SDG - 13. In this section, we
will discuss, India’s preparedness and progress toward SDG 13. We know that
India has signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, making it obligatory for it
to reach its commitments. India is also a signatory among 192 nations to the
2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Government of India
has entrusted NITI Aayog, with coordinating the SDG Agenda in India and
has asked the states to prepare action plans and has also embarked upon an
exercise to develop national indicators for the 17 Goals, besides undertaking
consultations on specific goals. NITI Aayog is expected to come up with the
long-term vision (2015-30) and medium-term plan (2015-22), in response to
which it recently developed a short-term action agenda. NITI Aayog has carried
out a draft mapping of goals and targets against existing schemes and these
goals have been assigned to respective ministries. There is also active at the
state level, with states asked to put forward their plans for implementing the
SDGs to NITI Aayog, looking at the SDGs as a guiding framework for their
long-term development strategy. This includes a proposal to introduce an SDG
charter for each government ministry. The MoEFCC has been assigned the
responsibility of three goals (Goal 12, 13 and 15) directly where they need to
coordinate with different ministries on individual targets. Further, they have
partial responsibility for another seven goals for which they will engage with
other ministries. NITI Aayog is also given the responsibility to develop an energy
policy in light of India’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. The MoEFCC has
designed the Nationally Determined Contributions with consultations from state
governments, ministries and civil societies.

16.7.1 NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON CLIMATE CHANGE

(NAPCC)
In this section, we will discuss the National Action Plan on Climate Change
(NAPCC) and other initiatives by the Government of India. The NAPCC
consists of eight National Missions namely:
•• Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission;
•• National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency;
•• National Mission on Sustainable Habitat; 333
Security And •• National Water Mission;
Development Issues •• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture;
•• National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem;
•• National Mission for a Green India; and
•• National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change.
Under these initiatives, the Government has been able to make significant
progress toward achieving SDG and SDG 13. Apart from these initiatives, the
Indian government set up the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) in 2010
to finance and promote clean energy initiatives along with the allocation
of resources for clean energy research. Under Jawaharlal Nehru National
Solar Mission (JNNSM), the installation of solar photovoltaic (SPV) lights
and small capacity lights were done. The scope of the NCEF also includes
projects under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which
are being implemented under the flagship programmes of “Grid-Interactive
and Distributive Renewable Power” and “Research, Design, Development
in Renewable Energy”. Several of the NAPCC missions (Energy Efficiency,
Water and Greening India, for example) offered opportunities for urban-scale
engagement, including one (the Mission on Sustainable Habitat) that focussed
explicitly on cities.
Following the development of the NAPCC, in 2009, the Government of India
asked state governments to follow this process in their respective states,
focussing specifically on developing policies and plans that align with the
eight NAPCC missions and the development priorities of each state. As of
October 2016, 32 states and union territories in India have State Action Plans on
Climate Change that have been endorsed by the National Steering Committee
on Climate Change (MoEFCC, 2016). The state plans seem to focus largely on
good sustainable development strategies, on adaptation rather than mitigation,
integrating their climate change action plans with the overall development goals
of the state.
Although India has done well on many sustainable development goals and
climate goals, much is yet desired to achieve sustainable development in the
real sense. First and foremost is the need for a clear road map to implement
the SDGs with identified roles for the state governments, and a monitoring
mechanism to measure progress. Public education and awareness are second
to none in terms of invoking people in the achievement of the SDGs. The
SDGs are more complex than to be achieved by the policies and government
programmes alone. The countries need to harness the energy, understanding
and participation of all stakeholders including the NGOs to make sustainable
development a reality.
Under the SDGs’ framework, actions under Goal 13 are largely based on the
outcomes of the climate change negotiations in the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The 2030 Agenda and the Paris
334 Agreement give us the tools to address the challenges posed by climate change,
poverty and inequality. We must use them judiciously. And, as UN Secretary- Sustainable
General António Guterres said “we need more action, more ambition and more Development Goals
political will. This will take unprecedented levels of collaborative, multilateral
action. It will take increased efforts not by nations alone, but by all segments of
society”.

16.7.2 Intended Nationally Determined Contri Bution

The Prime Minister of India, speaking at the SDGs Summit in the UN, in
September 2015 said, “Today, much of India’s development agenda is mirrored
in the Sustainable Development Goals. Since independence, we have pursued
the dream of eliminating poverty in India. We have chosen the path of removing
poverty by empowering the poor.” India’s institutional framework on climate
change is focused on achieving its pre-2020 commitments and the Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs) rather than achieving SDGs in general or
SDG 13 in particular.
India’s effort in integrating climate change measures into national policies has
been focused on achieving pre-2020 commitment and its Nationally Determined
Contribution (NDC) as also reflected by the national indicators. India agreed
in Copenhagen (2009) to reduce its energy intensity by 20-25% by 2020 over
the 2005 level. Through its INDC (2015), it voluntarily committed to reducing
its energy intensity by 30-35% by 2030 (over the 2005 level), achieving 40%
cumulative electric power installed capacity for the fossil fuel-based energy
resources by 2030 (conditional and transfer of technology and international
finance), and create an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO2
through additional forest cover. The National Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC,
2008) and State Action Plan/s on Climate Change are constrained by financial
support, appropriate institutional structure, meaningful monitoring and a clear
road map.
Box 16.5: India’s Commitments
India agreed to reduce its emission intensity by 20-25% by 2020 over the 2005
level. In the Paris Agreement, India’s NDC committed to achieving three targets:
•• 33% - 35% reduction in the energy intensity of its GDP by 2030 over 2005
(20-25% by 2020 over 2005 in the Copenhagen Accord);
•• 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity for the fossil fuel-based
energy resources by 2030 (conditional and transfer of technology and
international finance);
•• Additional carbon sinks of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO2 through additional
forest cover.
Check Your Progress 2
Note: a) Use the space given below for your answers.
b) Check your answers with those given at the end of the unit.
1. Give an overview of SDG-13.
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Security And ….………………………………………………………………………
Development Issues ………………….………………………………………………………
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2. Discuss India’s preparedness for SDG-13.
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16.8 LET US SUM UP

It is clear that climate change threatens decades of development progress and
jeopardizes inclusive and sustainable growth. The SDGs framework provides
the best path for addressing this climate emergency in ways that help everyone,
in particular women, children, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities
and those living in small island developing states. We have discussed in this
unit the genesis of sustainable development and sustainable development goals;
recognized the urgency for climate action through SDG 13, and reviewed the
progress and preparedness of India toward SDG 13.

16.9 KEY WORDS

MDGs: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), endorsed by
governments at the United Nations in September 2000, aim to improve
human well-being by reducing poverty, hunger, child and maternal mortality,
ensuring education for all, controlling and managing diseases, tackling gender
disparity, ensuring sustainable development and pursuing global partnerships.
Paris Agreement (PA): At COP21 in 2015, after many years of negotiations,
countries signed the momentous Paris Agreement, setting out the global
expectations for dramatically reducing carbon emissions. The Paris Agreement
entered into force in November 2016 and lays out the overarching global goals
and framework for international climate action in the post-2020 period. Under
the PA, countries have pledged to keep global temperature increases below 2
degrees from pre-industrial times.
Green Climate Fund: Established by the UNFCCC, as an operating entity
of the financial mechanism to assist developing countries in mitigation of and
adaptation to practices to climate change.

16.10 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING/

REFERENCES
•• http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/durban_nov_2011/decisions/application/
pdf/cop17_durbanplatform.pdf.
•• http://www.cisdl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/SDG_13_Climate_-_
Issue_Brief__-_06.09.2016_-Final_-_UNEP.pdf
336 •• http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7808e.pdf
•• http://www4.unfccc.int/ndcregistry/Published Documents/India%20First/ Sustainable
INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC. pdf Development Goals
•• Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change (2010). National Action Plan
on Climate Change. New Delhi: Government of India.
•• SDG 13 on Taking Action on Climate Change and its Impacts: Contributions
of International Law, Policy and Governance, Issue Brief, 2016
•• UN (2015). Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
•• United Nations Development Group (2016). Mainstreaming the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development: Reference Guide for UN Country
Teams. UNDG, New York.
•• United Nations (2016). Global Sustainable Development Report: 2016
Edition. New York: United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development.
•• WCED. (1987). Our Common Future. Ed. Gro Harlem Brundtland. World
Commission on Environment and Development. www.un-documents.net/
our-common-future.pdf

16.11 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Check Your Progress 1
1. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has provided a blueprint
for shared prosperity in a sustainable world. The 2030 Agenda focuses
on the “elimination of hunger and reduction of poverty and inequality
(opportunity, resource access, gender, and youth) in all their forms”. The
2030 Agenda and its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are much broader
in scope and ambition, encompassing the eradication of poverty and
hunger and improved health and nutrition; reduction of inequality; the
building of peaceful, just and inclusive societies; the protection of human
rights; the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women
and girls; and the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources.
The 2030 Agenda advocates “sustainable development in all of its three
dimensions, for all countries (developing and developed), based on the
fundamental recognition and protection of human rights, dignity and
equity”. Further, SDGs endeavour to create a suitable environment for
“sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity
and decent work for all, taking into account different levels of national
development and capacities”.
2. The Sustainable Development Goals are a “universal set of goals and
targets agreed by 194 UN member states to guide their development
policies and initiatives over the next 15 years”. The 17 Goals of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development came into force on 1 January 2016.
Check Your Progress 2
1. Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13 Climate Action) commits to
take “urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”, emphasizing
the globally agreed need to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas 337
Security And emissions and adapt to the damages caused by climate change while
Development Issues acknowledging that the “United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum
for negotiating the global response to climate change.” The UNFCCC
acknowledges that “the global nature of climate change calls for the
widest possible cooperation by all countries and their participation in an
effective and appropriate international response, following their common
but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and their
social and economic conditions.”
Goal 13 in particular focuses on the “urgent action” required to “combat
climate change and its impacts”, thus incorporating both climate change
mitigation and climate change adaptation. Its scope includes three
targets: 13.1- strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-
related hazards and natural disasters in all countries; 13.2- integrate
climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning;
and 13.3- improve education, awareness-raising and human institutional
capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and
early warning.
2. India has signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, making it obligatory
for it to reach its commitments. India is also a signatory among 192
nations to the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. The
Government of India has entrusted NITI Aayog, with coordinating the
SDG Agenda in India and has asked the states to prepare action plans
and has also embarked upon an exercise to develop national indicators
for the 17 Goals, besides undertaking consultations on specific goals.
The MoEFCC has been assigned the responsibility of three goals (Goal
12, 13 and 15) directly where they need to coordinate with different
ministries on individual targets. Further, they have partial responsibility
for another seven goals for which they will engage with other ministries.
NITI Aayog is also given the responsibility to develop an energy policy
in light of India’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. The MoEFCC
has designed the Nationally Determined Contributions with consultations
from state governments, ministries and civil societies. India has launched
the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which consists of
eight National Missions.
India’s institutional framework on climate change is focused on
achieving its pre-2020 commitments and the Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDCs) rather than achieving SDGs in general or SDG 13
in particular. India’s effort in integrating climate change measures into
national policies has been focused on achieving pre-2020 commitment
and its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as also reflected by
the national indicators. India agreed in Copenhagen (2009) to reduce its
energy intensity by 20-25% by 2020 over the 2005 level. Through its
INDC (2015), it voluntarily committed to reducing its energy intensity by
30-35% by 2030 (over the 2005 level), achieving 40% cumulative electric
power installed capacity for the fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030
(conditional and transfer of technology and international finance), and
create an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO2 through
additional forest cover.
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