Group6_D | SDG 13: Climate Action
Authored by:- Animesh Acharya, Tarun Agrawal, Aviral, Moidin Afsan, Soham Banerjee, Shubham Sanganeria, Antony Paul
Introduction:
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 with an aim of ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by the year 2030 [1]. As part of this, 17 sustainable development goals were identified. One of the most important of these sustainable development goals at present, is SDG 13: climate action.
Climate action has become one of the most pressing issues in recent times as the frequency of natural disasters like flash floods, forest fires etc., have increased tremendously. Moreover, the change in the climate has now started becoming visible. The Sea levels have risen by about 20 cm (8 inches) since 1880 and temperatures have increased by 1 degree Celsius over the preindustrial era. The changes in our environment have not only affected animals, but also the livelihood of human beings at large. It is estimated over 1,50,000 deaths all over the world are caused by climate change [2]. If corrective actions are not taken soon, it would become almost impossible to reverse the damage done.
To tackle the problem of climate change, The United Nations has set forth targets under the SDG 13 which are to be achieved by the year 2030.[3]
- Integrate climate change measures into policies and planning of member countries.
- Implement the commitment undertaken by the member countries on mobilizing 100 billion dollars annually by 2020 to address climate related issues.
- Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for climate related planning in the developing and marginalized countries.
- Strengthen and adapt capacity for climate related hazards and natural disasters in all member countries.
The exponentially increasing climate degradation is leaving its severe impacts on every human being irrespective of the country one lives in. Disruptions in weather patterns, rising sea levels and extreme conditions with a number of natural disasters taking place.
It was estimated by the scientists that the rising global temperatures is bound to reduce the global yields of wheat, maize and rice by around 6%, 7.4% and 3.2% respectively [6]. India being an agricultural country with nearly 41.49% of the employment coming from the agricultural sector, climate action becomes of “urgent” importance to India.
Moreover, India as a country is the 3rd largest greenhouse emitter and with the greenhouse emissions historically highest, India has committed to reduce its greenhouse emissions drastically. As per the SDG 13 of India, the country has set off a target of reducing its emissions by almost 33-35% by the year 2030.[4]
Steps taken towards SDG 13 by India:
NAPCC
India worked towards Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) on the implementation, financing and development of the climate action SDG which was a document of intent written to the US. In accordance with this, India adopted a ‘National Action Plan on Climate Change’ which are eight missions to promote awareness and addressing the issue along with promoting development.[7]
National Clean Energy Fund
Along with the NAPCC initiative, our government set up the National Clean Energy Fund to promote and finance clean energy initiatives in the country and enhance the R&D in the sector.[5]
Road Forward for India
One of the biggest roadblocks for India in implementing these strategies is the poverty and infrastructure limitations of India. Hence, India must follow a balanced approach providing lifeline to poor as well as gradually transforming its society towards clean energy and pro-climate activities.[5]
Business Implications and Actions:
Companies in their bid to increase their short-term profits have recklessly exploited the earth’s resources and this has caused unthinkable consequences for climate change. Carbon emissions and greenhouse gases are the prime contributors to this, and this has raised the global temperature. If left unchecked, we will soon reach a point of no return, the damage will be irreversible and ultimately, all life forms on Earth will suffer.
SDG 13 aims to reverse the damage done by encouraging businesses around the world to reconsider their approach to reach a sustainable life. The focus has been on developing countries, where environmental laws are lenient enough to encourage more industries. Cities in India and China are some of the world’s most polluted and are prime sources of how businesses have impacted climate change. The response has to come from the top management of any company by changing their policies for an eco-friendly world [10]. Minute behavioral changes can contribute to lowering our carbon footprint, for example Marks and Spencer encouraged its users to wash clothes under 30° C to reduce carbon emissions.
Climate change will impact the ability of companies to expand their business. Extreme weather is becoming a common phenomenon and ruining agricultural produce in countries like India, which is heavily dependent on rainfall for its irrigation source. This is causing problems for companies dependent on agricultural produce to make their own products. Natural disasters have also increased in the last few decades and disrupt supply chains of businesses for long times. This might force industries to shift altogether to a different place, but the problem will persist. This change in temperature has also created harsher working conditions making it difficult for workers to give their optimal output. All this has created a negative perception among people towards certain businesses and will hurt their ability to do business in the future. [11]
To combat the effects of climate change and the resulting consequences, businesses are starting to take urgent measures in various ways. One of the primary methods of doing this is ensuring that the energy consumed in the form of electricity is generated by renewable sources and does not adversely affect the environment. The shift to hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal energy generation can be decided by many factors, including the office’s geographical location.
Companies also take measures to streamline the primary products and services offered by them. For example, changing the packing used in production to biodegradable substances ensures that any rare earth materials are recycled from previously used products to minimize environmental degradation. Streamlining every corporation’s entire supply chain process ensures that every form of non-essential pollution is minimized. Utilizing sea freight instead of air transport for non-essential services, sourcing raw materials and labor from local areas, and efficiently using transportation algorithms to minimize the length of the route traversed are some of the changes that corporations can make. [8]
By embracing more efficient technologies, companies can also benefit from financial metrics in the long run. Even though there might be an increase in costs in the short run, investments to optimize parts of the business to benefit the environment can help the bottom line. A great example of this is the car manufacturer Tesla that embraces electric vehicle technology even when it was relatively expensive. Hence, it achieved economies of scale in terms of production by the time other manufacturers entered the market. This boosted their market share and enabled them to have a significant competitive advantage. [9]
Analysis:
Since the time government led by Narendra Modi has come into power, India has increasingly focused on tackling the issue of climate change. From streamlining energy and environmental decision-making process to the launch of Auto Fuel Mission 2025, the BJP government has indeed considered climate change as one key issue. But given the fact that we are a part of globalized world with climate change impacting all the nations of the world, agreements on the issues expect coordination from all. The 2015 Paris agreement witnessed 197 signatory countries promising to limit the global temperature increase to just 1.5 degree Celsius with each country setting its own targets. However, countries have failed to honour their commitments. India's policies managed to limit the global temperature to 2 degrees, but most other countries even failed to meet this target. The most surprising of all is that the second-largest contributor, USA, pulled out of the agreement itself with a justification that the terms had been unfair to them; just another one of their hypocrisies.
Coming to India's case, there are certain challenges that India will have to counter in succeeding in meeting the target of 1.5 degrees. Foremost of it is the issue of excessive reliance on coal for energy generation. Generation of energy using coal leads to greenhouse gas emissions. The focus shall now shift to renewable sources, and the government is trying to promote this by incentivizing the private sector, which is a positive indicator. The government estimates that by 2030 40% of the electricity will be derived from non-coal sources.
Second is the issue of excessive production of water-intensive crops, which predominantly results from government subsidies on fertilizers and minimum support price policy. The result is that we end up exporting water despite being a country with a water shortage. In addition to it is the recurring issue of stubble burning. It is high time that government launch policies that should limit these crops' production and promote the use of techniques like drip irrigation, aerobic cultivation in the farming.
India's goal of 5 trillion economy by 2025 highlights its focus on development and growth and we know that boosting growth implies significant investment in the form of infrastructure. It is probable that this might supersede the issue of climate change because most of the production of energy is from fossil fuels and increasing use of them will cause major harm to climate. Another probable measure includes reduction in regulations, streamlining of labour laws, privatization, and disinvestment. Without fossil fuel consumption it is highly unlikely that Indian economy will be able to meet its target of 5 trillion economy but when it comes to choosing between economic growth and tackling climate change the choice is clear for a progressive government. [15]
Suggested Path Ahead:
India’s first-ever assessment of climate change has shown in its report that India’s average temperature is expected to rise by 4.4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.[12] This certainly spells doom for India’s current natural ecosystem, agriculture, and freshwater resources, while it will also have a significant impact on biodiversity, energy, and public health.
While this report uncovers various shocking realities of the near and middle-term future we face ahead of us, it is a welcoming first step towards assessing the steps that need to be taken in the next years and decades. The focus needs to be on creating policies that can reduce the potential damage.
One of the areas that can be focused on is the oceans. The origin of rainfall, cyclones, and sea-level changes are oceans themselves. India’s current ocean observation is limited, and many gaps are present. That should be the government’s focus. Similarly, the focus should be on expanding observation in regional climate changes and more investment into outreach programs. Emphasis should also be on reducing food and water wastage, expansion of green spaces, forest conservation and afforestation, reduction of fossil fuels, and carbon taxation. [13]
Similarly, the corporate should also treat climate change as a more serious matter than just treating it for short-term cost savings purposes.[14] Very few companies have a proper steering mechanism to implement comprehensive climate change conservation strategies, which need to change, especially given that everyone will feel the impact when it happens.
Finally, individuals must also try to contribute all they can in trying to combat this issue. The simple acts of recycling, reducing waste of resources, and using more public transport will have compounding effects.
References:
[1] https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-13-climate-action.html
[3] https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030-goal13.html
[4] https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-13/
[6] https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/
[8] https://sdgcompass.org/sdgs/sdg-13/
[10] https://hbr.org/2007/10/climate-business-_-business-climate
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