SDGs Today: Taking the pulse of our planet

If we do nothing

Photo Credit: Matt Hardy on Unsplash

Temperatures could rise 2°C* or even 3°C** by 2050.

Photo Credit: Chen Hu on Unsplash

* Equivalent to 3.6°F

** Equivalent to 5.4°F

Source

Setting off a chain reaction that will put people, planet and prosperity in danger.

Photo Credit: UNDP

Climate change threatens the 2030 Agenda; a call to action for a sustainable, prosperous world.

“Imagine what our world will look like in 2030. Imagine what our children and our grandchildren will say. How did our parents not act when they knew the climate was changing?

We have an imperative to act. And we have the opportunity to act.”

Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator

Rapid climate change =

Extreme weather
Biodiversity loss
Rising sea levels
Extreme heat & drought

Photo Credit: Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

Extreme Weather

Photo Credit: NASA

The chain reaction

1

Extreme weather events
2

Devastation & damage
3

Vulnerabilities exposed
4

Women bear the brunt

Storms are stronger, longer-lasting, more damaging and cost billions.

$307,000,000,000

2017 disaster costs

Source: Is climate change making hurricanes worse?, The Guardian 2018

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/weather/ng-interactive/2018/sep/11/atlantic-hurricanes-are-storms-getting-worse

Photo Credit: UNDP Malawi

Storms destroy everything in their wake.

Video Credit: UNDP

2017 Extreme Weather Events

South Asia floods

41 million affected

Hurricane season

US$33 billion cost

Forest fires

150,000 displaced

When disasters strike, gender roles place women, girls and boys in vulnerable positions.

Source: Overview of linkages between gender and climate change, UNDP 2016

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/gender/Gender%20and%20Environment/UNDP%20Linkages%20Gender%20and%20CC%20Policy%20Brief%201-WEB.pdf

Photo Credit: UN/MINUSTAH Logan Abassi

Climate change will cause 200 million people to migrate.

8 in 10 are women.

Source: Gender and climate change - overview of linkages between gender and climate change, UNDP 2016

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/gender/Gender%20and%20Environment/UNDP%20Linkages%20Gender%20and%20CC%20Policy%20Brief%201-WEB.pdf

Photo Credit: Sumaya Agha for Mercy Corps

“Yeah, we were here during the storm. It was really, really hard. When we get up the next morning and we see our homes, our friends’ homes, everything is just totally destroyed.”

Wanda Thomas De Souza, Barbuda resident

Source: The reality of climate change, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/ourstories/the-quiet-after-the-storm.html

Photo Credit: UNDP/Mike Atwood

De Souza’s restaurant was destroyed along with 90% of the houses and buildings in Barbuda. She and her neighbours had to emerge from the rubble to begin again.

Source: The reality of climate change, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/ourstories/the-quiet-after-the-storm.html

Biodiversity Loss

Photo Credit: Chen Hu on Unsplash

The chain reaction

1

Ocean pollution & deforestation
2

Coral reef loss
3

Loss of wildlife
4

Livelihoods lost

The earth is 2/3 ocean.

Photo Credit: Erin Simmons on Unsplash

Warming oceans are killing the coral reefs.

By 2030, 70-90% of the coral reefs will be lost.

Source: IPCC Report 2018

Link: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/summary-for-policy-makers/

Photo Credit: UNDP Thailand

Corals are the canary in the coal mine. They're the warning sign of what's to come.

It took 55 million years for this landscape to evolve

and we are destroying it in record time.

Photo Credit: UNDP Peru

Forests sustain 1.6 billion livelihoods globally.

Forests are home to 80% of terrestrial species.

Source: Goal 15: Life on land, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-15-life-on-land.html

Photo Credit: JF Brou on Unsplash

Mass extinction?

Vertebrate numbers have declined by 60 percent on average.

Source: Living Planet Report, 2018: Aiming Higher, WWF 2018

Link: https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/living-planet-report-2018

Photo Credit: Jordi Fernandez on Unsplash

Every year, 280,000 hectares of Peru's forests disappear.

Source: Deforestation in Peru, WWF 2015

Link: https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2015/articles/deforestation-in-peru

Photo Credit: UNDP Peru/Mónica Suarez Galindo

This has pushed families to the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve. With their forest homes quickly disappearing, many consider it their last refuge.

Source: Protecting our planet's lungs, UNDP 2017

Link: https://stories.undp.org/protectors-of-our-planets-lungs

“We cannot live without our land.”

Cirila Tete, an indigenous leader living in the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve

Source: Protecting our planet's lungs, UNDP 2017

Link: https://stories.undp.org/protectors-of-our-planets-lungs

Photo Credit: UNDP Peru/Mónica Suarez Galindo

Rising Sea Levels

Photo Credit: Alto Crew on Unsplash

The chain reaction

1

Warming temperatures melt ice
2

Sea levels rise
3

Coastal loss
4

Small islands disappear

Warming temperatures have triggered unprecedented ice melt and rapidly rising sea levels.

Source: New study finds sea level rise accelerating, NASA 2018

Link: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2680/new-study-finds-sea-level-rise-accelerating/

Photo Credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Climate scientists predict that the oceans will rise by 65 cm* by 2100.

Source: New study finds sea level rise accelerating, NASA 2018

Link: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2680/new-study-finds-sea-level-rise-accelerating/

*Equivalent to 25.6 inches

Source

If sea levels rise, this is what it will look like in New York City by 2100.

Source: Here's how rising seas could swallow up these coastal cities, NBC News 2018

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/here-s-how-rising-seas-could-swallow-these-coastal-cities-ncna872466

Shanghai by 2100.

Source: Here's how rising seas could swallow up these coastal cities, NBC News 2018

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/here-s-how-rising-seas-could-swallow-these-coastal-cities-ncna872466

In some cases, entire islands will be lost.

Photo Credit: UNDP/Aurelia Rusek

At its highest elevation, Tuvalu in the South Pacific is only 4m* above sea level.

Source: Forgotten paradise under water, UNDP 2015

Link: https://stories.undp.org/forgotten-paradise-under-water

Photo Credit: UNDP/Aurelia Rusek

*Equivalent to 157.4 inches

Source

“Our houses are gone, the gardens and plantations are destroyed as well as the natural material for our hand-woven mats and baskets. Women need support to build back their kitchens and gardens as well as alternative sources of income such as sewing machines."

Takeisi Tamala

Source: Forgotten paradise under water, UNDP 2015

Link: https://stories.undp.org/forgotten-paradise-under-water

Photo Credit: UNDP/Silke von Brockhausen

After Cylone Pam in 2015, Takeisi knows the risk her home faces on the Pacific island.

Source: Forgotten paradise under water, UNDP 2015

Link: https://stories.undp.org/forgotten-paradise-under-water

Source: UNDP/Aurelia Rusek

Extreme Heat & Drought

Photo Credit: UNDP Chad / Jean Damascene Hakuzimana

The chain reaction

1

Extreme heat & drought
2

Agriculture loss
3

Food insecurity sparks conflict

We're seeing more frequent and longer-lasting heat waves.

Source: Restoring our Lands and Forests, Securing our Future, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/speeches/2018/restoring-our-lands-and-forests--securing-our-future.html/

Photo Credit: Forest Service, USDA / Stuart Palley

Droughts are straining food production.

Source: Restoring our Lands and Forests, Securing our Future, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/speeches/2018/restoring-our-lands-and-forests--securing-our-future.html/

Photo Credit: Brad Helmink on Unsplash

Around 124 million people in 51 countries face crisis, food insecurity or worse.

Source: Global Report on Food Crises 2018, ReliefWeb 2018

Link: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-report-food-crises-2018

Photo Credit: UNDP Uzbekistan

In 2011, a drought struck Somalia. Its effects linger today.

Source: Somalia drought impact and needs assessment report, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/climate-and-disaster-resilience-/somalia-drought-impact-and-needs-assessment.html

Photo Credit: UNDP

Today, 6.7 million Somalis are on the brink of famine.

Source: Somalia drought impact and needs assessment report, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/climate-and-disaster-resilience-/somalia-drought-impact-and-needs-assessment.html

Photo Credit: UNDP

Conflict, rife in Somalia, was exacerbated by vulnerable people in search of food.

Source: Climate Change Adaptation in the Arab States, UNDP 2018

Link: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/climate-and-disaster-resilience-/climate-change-adaptation-in-the-arab-states.html

Photo Credit: UNDP

Mohamed Ismail Yasin is originally from the Mayle village in northeast Somalia. His region was severely affected by the prolonged drought.

Along with his family and livestock, he was forced to flee his home, and traveled 600 km to the nearest dependable water source.

Source: In search of water, UNDP 2017

Link: https://stories.undp.org/in-search-of-water/photos/3952206

Photo Credit: UNDP

The time to take action is now.

Photo Credit: UNDP Chad / Jean Damascene Hakuzimana

The Sustainable Development Goals are ambitious targets the world must meet to achieve Agenda 2030.

They are the future we want to see.

Photo Credit: UNDP / Sumaya Agha

We must take drastic steps now.

By 2030, greenhouse gases must be cut by 45%.

The UNDP climate action portfolio spans 140 countries and encompasses 700 climate change mitigation and adaptation projects.

Photo Credit: UNDP India / Prashanth Vishwanathan

Our efforts in action

Economy

Bold climate action could trigger 26 trillion USD in economic benefits by 2030.
Energy

Global transition to renewables could yield an annual 10 trillion USD by 2050.
Jobs

Ambitious climate action could create over 65 million new jobs.
Health

Around 54 trillion USD in healthcare saved by 2050.

Nature Capital

Nature-based solutions can provide 37% of CO2 mitigation needed through 2030.
Infrastructure

Only 3.86% of available private institutional capital is needed to ensure low-carbon, resilient infrastructure.
Innovative Financing

In 2018, carbon pricing covered about 20% of global emissions and was valued at 82 billion USD.

Bold climate action could trigger 26 trillion USD in economic benefits by 2030

Global transition to renewables could yield an annual 10 trillion USD by 2050

Ambitious climate action could create over 65 million new jobs

Around 54 trillion USD in healthcare saved by 2050

Nature-based solutions can provide 37% of CO2 mitigation needed through 2030

Only 3.86% of available private institutional capital is needed to ensure low-carbon, resilient infrastructure

In 2018, carbon pricing covered about 20% of global emissions and was valued at 82 billion USD

Photo Credit: UNDP Chad / Jean Damascene Hakuzimana

This story can be different.

Help us change the course of history.

Act

Change the course of global warming.

Learn

Stay informed about this issue.

Act

Change the course of global warming.

Learn

Stay informed about this issue.

Please rotate your device

If we do nothing

Temperatures could rise 2°C* or even 3°C** by 2050.

Setting off a chain reaction that will put people, planet and prosperity in danger.

Climate change threatens the 2030 Agenda; a call to action for a sustainable, prosperous world.

“Imagine what our world will look like in 2030. Imagine what our children and our grandchildren will say. How did our parents not act when they knew the climate was changing?

We have an imperative to act. And we have the opportunity to act.”

Rapid climate change =

Extreme weather

Biodiversity loss

Rising sea levels

Extreme heat & drought

Extreme Weather

The chain reaction

1

Extreme weather events

2

Devastation & damage

3

Vulnerabilities exposed

4

Women bear the brunt

Storms are stronger, longer-lasting, more damaging and cost billions.

$307,000,000,000

Storms destroy everything in their wake.

2017 Extreme Weather Events

South Asia floods

Hurricane season

Forest fires

When disasters strike, gender roles place women, girls and boys in vulnerable positions.

Climate change will cause 200 million people to migrate.

8 in 10 are women.

“Yeah, we were here during the storm. It was really, really hard. When we get up the next morning and we see our homes, our friends’ homes, everything is just totally destroyed.”

De Souza’s restaurant was destroyed along with 90% of the houses and buildings in Barbuda. She and her neighbours had to emerge from the rubble to begin again.

Biodiversity Loss

The chain reaction

1

Ocean pollution & deforestation

2

Coral reef loss

3

Loss of wildlife

4

Livelihoods lost

The earth is 2/3 ocean.

Warming oceans are killing the coral reefs.

By 2030, 70-90% of the coral reefs will be lost.

Corals are the canary in the coal mine. They're the warning sign of what's to come.

It took 55 million years for this landscape to evolve

and we are destroying it in record time.

Forests sustain 1.6 billion livelihoods globally.

Forests are home to 80% of terrestrial species.

Mass extinction?

Vertebrate numbers have declined by 60 percent on average.

Every year, 280,000 hectares of Peru's forests disappear.

This has pushed families to the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve. With their forest homes quickly disappearing, many consider it their last refuge.

“We cannot live without our land.”

Rising Sea Levels

The chain reaction

1

Warming temperatures melt ice

2

Sea levels rise

3

Coastal loss

4

Small islands disappear

Warming temperatures have triggered unprecedented ice melt and rapidly rising sea levels.

Climate scientists predict that the oceans will rise by 65 cm* by 2100.

If sea levels rise, this is what it will look like in New York City by 2100.

Shanghai by 2100.

In some cases, entire islands will be lost.

At its highest elevation, Tuvalu in the South Pacific is only 4m* above sea level.

“Our houses are gone, the gardens and plantations are destroyed as well as the natural material for our hand-woven mats and baskets. Women need support to build back their kitchens and gardens as well as alternative sources of income such as sewing machines."

After Cylone Pam in 2015, Takeisi knows the risk her home faces on the Pacific island.

Extreme Heat & Drought

The chain reaction

1

Extreme heat & drought

2