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- What are the most relevant actions/targets proposed in SDG#13?
SDG #13 is aiming to reduce the climate change occurring. Compared to the 1990's, there is 50% rise in the amount of CO2 production every year. This also led to the temperature rise of about 0.3 degrees Celsius in just 25 years. There is also a lot of polar ice melting. By 2042, we might probably experience the first ice-free summer in the Arctic, i.e. whole of the ice will have gotten melted by then. That even would lead to extinction of many arctic animals like polar bears.
One of the things that were proposed by the Paris Agreement is to spend a lot of money to battle the changing climate. About 7 countries have already submitted their first iteration. Developed countries have also started their work, many of them spend more than 50 billion dollars each.
USA, however, recently under Donald Trump quit the Paris pact. With other countries already starting to reduce their climate change index, it is sure that if USA won't be signing it again, USA would soon become the greatest country causing pollution.
Helping refugees from areas of natural disasters is another target of SDG13. With more than a lakh (100,000) deaths every year due to these disasters, it is a very big target to be done, despite progress in implementing disaster risk reduction strategies by the SDG13. Many countries have begun implementing national and local disaster risk reduction strategies. In 2014-2015, most reporting countries indicated that environmental impact assessments, legislation on protected areas, climate change adaptation projects and programmes, and integrated planning played a major role in reducing underlying risk factors.
- How does SDG #13 targets respond to the challenges created by the effects of climate change in water in both Indigenous and non-indigenous communities?
First of all, we must know what is happening to water.
Water is suffering from multiple problems, one is that it is getting polluted. The other, the main, problem is that Climate change is changing our assumptions about water resources. As climate change warms the atmosphere, affecting the hydro-logical cycle, change of the amount, timing, form, and intensity of precipitation will continue. Other changes include the flow of water in watersheds, as well as the quality of aquatic and marine environments. These impacts are likely to affect the programs designed to protect water quality, public health, and safety.
In both indigenous and non-indigenous areas, there are many challenges. Filtering the water is a problem concerning with pollution. Nowadays, many rivers are drying up. This is a comparison of the Penna river between 2000 and 2017.
Penna river 2000
River in 2017
Rivers drying up means less precipitation and less crops, less animals and less food, ultimately the death of humans.
SDG13 responds to these challenges by spending a lot of money. India is one of the countries starting to spend money. Some stats from SDG13 in India:
On October of 2016, India signed the Paris Agreement.India made a commitment to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25% from its 2005 levels by 2020 and by 33-35% by 2030. India has been thus, doing a lot of work and active contribution.
- What other areas do you think should be taken into account?
The part of water which is getting polluted must also be taken into account. In the Pacific ocean, scientists are jokingly calling a big mass of plastic (as big as twice the size as Japan) an 'Eighth Continent, a plastic continent'.
This floating mass can cause the lack of sunlight inside the water which leads to depopulation of sea animals. Also, some animals are mistaking plastic for food. More than 1000 animals in the pacific were found dead with plastic bottles stuck in its throat.
Polluted water also causes many diseases. Jaundice and such water borne diseases became more common.
Apart from pollution, SDG13 should also look into the matter of biodiversity extinction caused by these pollutants. In less than 10 years, the Great Coral Reef may erode because of negligence of people by throwing plastic and dirt and oil spills.
- What elements would you incorporate if you had to build and action/target that addressed water?
First of all, a water filter is the most important thing one needs to create. Also, plastic must not be thrown into water just like that. It will cause such dire consequences mentioned above. And, by planting trees on land, water evaporation can be reduced. Even with government taking actions, it is not possible. Everyone must take action. Every person must plant trees. Even if each person plants 1 tree an year, we can compete the felling of trees. (4 billion trees are being cut each year and we have 7.5 billion people).
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Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
INDIA’S CLIMATE AND ENERGY POLICIESIndia is the fastest-growing major economy in the world. It is the fourth largest greenhouse gasemitter, accounting for 5.8 percent of global emissions. India’s emissions increased by 67.1 percentbetween 1990 and 2012, and are projected to grow 85 percent by 2030 under a business-as-usualscenario.By other measures, India's emissions are relatively low comparedto those of other major economies. India accounts for only 4percent of global cumulative energy-related emissions since 1850,compared to 16 percent and 15 percent for the United States andChina.1 India produces about 2 tons of CO2e per capita, versus20 tons and 8 tons, respectively, in the United States and China.Coal accounted for 43.5 percent of the total energy supply in2011, followed by biofuels and waste (24.7 percent), petroleum(22.1 percent), natural gas (6.7 percent), hydropower (1.5 percent)and nuclear (1.2 percent).2 India is working to meet growingenergy demand by securing affordable supplies and attractinginfrastructure investment in. By 2022, it aims to provideelectricity to the 25 percent of the population (more than 300million people) who don’t have it.3India pledged under the Copenhagen Accord to reduce itsCO2 intensity (emissions per GDP) by 20 to 25 percent by 2020compared to 2005 levels.4 India appears on track to achieve itsvoluntary pledge, though emissions are not projected to peak untilaround 2050 or later. On October 1, 2015, India formallysubmitted its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC)to the climate agreement due in December 2015 in Paris. Amongits key elements:• To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35percent by 2030 from 2005 level.• To achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power
resources by 2030, with the help of transfer oftechnology and low cost international finance includingfrom Green Climate Fund (GCF).• To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billiontons of CO2 equivalent through additional forest andtree cover by 2030.POLICIES CONTRIBUTING TO CLIMATEMITIGATIONIndia has a number of policies that contribute to climatemitigation by reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.In June 2008, the Prime Minister released India’s first NationalAction Plan on Climate Change, which identified eight core“national missions” running through 2017. India’s currentFive-Year Plan (2012-2017), which guides overall economicpolicy, includes goals to:• Achieve average 8 percent annual GDP growth;• Reduce emissions intensity in line with India’sCopenhagen pledge; and• Add 300,000 MW of renewable energy capacity.5Since taking office in May 2014, Prime Minister NarendraModi has taken steps to scale up clean energy production and INDIA’S CLIMATE AND ENERGY POLICIES OCTOBER 2015Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 2has initiated a shift in India’s stance in international climatenegotiations. One of his first acts was to rename theenvironment ministry the Ministry of Environment, Forestsand Climate Change. In January, the newly reconstitutedPrime Minister’s Council on Climate Change launched newinitiatives on wind energy, coastal zone management, healthand waste-to-energy.RENEWABLE ENERGYAt the federal level, India has implemented two majorrenewable energy-related policies: the Strategic Plan for Newand Renewable Energy,6 which provides a broad framework,and the National Solar Mission, which sets capacity targets forrenewables.7 The original Solar Mission includes the followingtargets for 2017: 27.3 GW wind, 4 GW solar, 5 GW biomassand 5 GW other renewables. For 2022, these targets increaseto: 20 GW solar, 7.3 GW biomass and 6.6 GW otherrenewables.SOLARIn November 2014, the Indian government announced that itwould increase the solar ambition of its National Solar Missionto 100 GW installed capacity by 2022, a five-time increase andover 30 times more solar than it currently has installed. Tothis end, the government also announced its intention to bringsolar power to every home by 2019 and invested in 25 solarparks, which have the potential to increase India’s totalinstalled solar capacity almost tenfold.WINDThe Twelfth Five Year Plan proposes a National Wind EnergyMission, similar to the National Solar Mission, and the Indiangovernment recently announced plans to boost wind energyproduction to 50,000 to 60,000 MW by 2022. It is alsoplanning to promote an offshore wind energy market.COALA tax on coal has raised $2.85 billion for India’s clean energyfund. The tax rose in July 2014 from Rs. 50 ($.80) to Rs. 100($1.60) per ton, and doubled again in March 2015 to Rs 200($3.20) per ton.ENERGY EFFICIENCY ANDCONSERVATIONIndia’s National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency8implements the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT)Mechanism, covering the country’s largest industrial andpower generation facilities.9 PAT covers more than 50 percentof fossil fuel use and set a target to reduce energy consumptionat participating facilities 4-5 percent in 2015 compared to 2010levels.TRANSPORTATIONIn early 2014, India announced new vehicle fuel-economystandards (Indian Corporate Average Fuel Consumptionstandard) of 4.8 liters per 100 kilometers (49 MPG) by 2021-2022, a 15 percent improvement. Biofuel legislation has set atarget of 20 percent blending of ethanol and biodiesel in2017.10SMART CITIESPrime Minister Modi has launched an initiative to create 100“smart cities” with better transport systems, utilities, andenergy networks to address the challenges of urban growth.11India’s National Mission on Sustainable Habitat also includesinitiatives such as the Energy Conservation Building Code,mandated for commercial buildings in eight states, and actionsto support recycling, waste management, and improved urbanplanning.12INDIA’S CLIMATE AND ENERGY POLICIES OCTOBER 2015The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is an independentnonprofit organization working to promote practical, effective policies andactions to address the twin challenges of energy and climate change.2101 WILSON BLVD. SUITE 550 ARLINGTON, VA 22201 703-516-4146 C2ES.ORGENDNOTES
Awesome Work!
Climate Change in 2050
Cities 'woefully unprepared' for rising disaster risk, World Bank says
Cities around the world are failing to plan for fast-increasing risks from
extreme weather and other hazards, particularly as population
growth and surging migration put more people in the path of
those threats, the World Bank said on Monday.
By 2050, 1.3 billion people and $158 trillion in assets will
be menaced by worsening river and coastal floods alone, warned a
new report from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and
Recovery (GFDRR), managed by the World Bank.
"Cities and coastal areas are woefully unprepared for the
kind of climate and disaster risk now facing our world," said
John Roome, the World Bank Group's senior director for climate
change.But as cities expand and revamp, they have the opportunity to lower that risk by putting in place more resilient infrastructure and preventive policies, he said.Those could include everything from restrictions on using too much groundwater - one of the reasons cities from Tokyo to Jakarta are sinking - to planning for more green space, and new schools and apartments set above flood-prone zones.
he problem is that many city officials have no clear idea of the range of disaster risks they face and how serious they could be. Argentina, for instance, has no volcanoes but is affected at times by ash from eruptions in Chile.And when Malawi was hit by an earthquake in 2009, it came as a surprise. "Not many people think about the African continent and its potential for earthquakes," said Alanna Simpson, a risk management specialist with the GFDRR. No PhD? Help at hand A new open-source disaster risk management tool, called ThinkHazard!, aims to make planning for such threats easier by pulling together information on all potential disaster risks in a country or region, and how they compare.It looks at hazards including floods, cyclones, droughts, heat waves, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and landslides.The tool, aimed at national and city planners, project developers and others, also offers advice on what might work to reduce the risks.While information on disaster risks already exists, it tends to be in scattered locations and jargon-heavy language, Simpson said.For an average planner, "you need a PhD to understand if a country has risk and how it might affect your project", she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Kasandra Springford
Oct 19, 2017