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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: 

TAKE URGENT ACTION TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS

According to United Nations, coal, oil and gas are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions.

United Nations also stated that until today the rising global temperatures still continue unabated and lead to more extreme weather. The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history. Warmer temperatures over time are changing weather patterns and disrupting the usual balance of nature. This poses many risks to human beings and all other forms of life on Earth.

Here, I want to share some of its causes:

• Powering buildings: Residential and commercial buildings consume more than half of all electricity worldwide. As they continue to rely on coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and cooling, they continually produce big amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. 

• Using transportation: A large number of automobiles, trucks, ships, and planes run on fossil fuels. As a result, transport is a major source of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide emissions.

• Cutting down forests: Cutting down forests to make farms or pastures, or for other purposes, creates emissions because trees release the carbon they have been storing when they are cut down. Since, trees also absorb CO2, harming them reduces nature's ability to keep emissions out of the atmosphere. 

• Manufacturing goods: Manufacturing and industry generate emissions, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels to generate energy for the production of cement, iron, steel, electronics, plastics, clothing, and other goods. 

• Consuming too much: Private households are responsible for a significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Our lifestyle, what we eat, how we move around, and how much we throw away have a profound impact on our planet.

These are the following consequences to our world:

• Health risks
• Rising ocean
• Severe storms
• Loss of species
• Increased drought
• Hotter temperatures
• Not having enough food
• Poverty and displacement

 

Here are some of its 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.

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 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible.

13.b. Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in the least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth, and local and marginalized communities.

As a results, we need to take urgent action to achieve this goal's targets.

For extra information, let's watch this video together!