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Tackling climate change to accelerate sustainable development

Nature Climate Change volume 9, pages 494–496 (2019)Cite this article

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The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement share the purpose of creating a more resilient, productive and healthy environment for present and future generations. Nations must seize the opportunity to raise their ambition, realize synergies and minimize trade-offs.

Climate change is more than just one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specified in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it impacts most of the other SDGs as well. It is a threat multiplier, with the potential to worsen some of humanity’s greatest challenges, including health, poverty, hunger, inequality and ecosystem preservation, among others. Conversely, addressing climate change also offers humanity’s greatest chance to positively impact these goals. At the same time, the SDGs themselves provide an impetus towards a just and equitable transition to a climate-safe future. The world is, unfortunately, not on track.

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References

  1. Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius (IPCC, 2018).

  2. UN Emissions Gap Report 2018 (UN Environment, 2018).

  3. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018 (UN, 2018).

  4. Unlocking the inclusive growth story of the 21st century: Accelerating climate action in urgent times (New Climate Economy, 2018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, New York, NY, USA

    Liu Zhenmin

  2. Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Bonn, Germany

    Patricia Espinosa

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  1. Liu Zhenmin
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  2. Patricia Espinosa
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Correspondence to Liu Zhenmin or Patricia Espinosa.

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Zhenmin, L., Espinosa, P. Tackling climate change to accelerate sustainable development. Nat. Clim. Chang. 9, 494–496 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0519-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0519-4

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