Climate Action: The 13th Sustainable Development Goal
Climate
Action: The 13th Sustainable Development Goal
Why is it Important?
Earth’s climate is changing
faster than at any point in the history of its modern civilization, mainly due
to the activities of human beings who in the constant pursuit of a better
lifestyle are exploiting the limited resources present on the planet. It has
emerged as the biggest developmental challenge for the planet. The entire
world, each and every continent, from the smallest to the biggest countries are
being directly impacted. Disasters associated with climate change such as
tsunamis, cyclones, floods and droughts have become a common sight disrupting
life, having a deep impact on the economies of the respective countries.
Greenhouse emissions have increased every year and if no immediate action is
taken, the world’s average surface temperature is predicted to rise by 3 degree
centigrade within the 21st century.
The constant need for
energy and the fact that no country has been able to completely de-link growth
from CO2 emissions, climate change has become a grave issue. However, it is
important to understand climate change as a global challenge transcending
national borders. It is important to develop solutions internationally and pave
the way for cleaner, more resilient economies. To better equip themselves and
respond to climate change, 175 countries ratified the Paris Agreement as on
April 2018. Through this, countries endeavour to limit the global temperature
rise to less than 2%. Climate change is a major concern which needs
immediate solutions which must be coordinated globally, especially to help
developing countries like India move towards a low carbon economy.
Relevance of Climate
Action to India
India is one of
the highest (3rd ranked) in the CO2 emission index and is
responsible for more than 6% of the emissions globally.
India itself has
been experiencing major irregularities caused by the degrading situation of
climate globally. There were conditions of drought in Chennai in the summer of
2019 while Mumbai was flooded once again. According to the Ministry of
Environment of India, almost 2400 Indians died due to extreme and irregular
weather phenomenon like Cyclones and floods in 2018-19 alone. The effect can
also be seen on the rising temperatures in India. According to the data
released by IMD, there has been an increase of 0.6 degree Celsius in average
temperature across India. And there are predictions that this average can rise
from a current level of 25.1 degree Celsius to 29.1 degree Celsius by the end
of this century.
These figures
definitely make India one of the major stakeholders in the Paris Agreement on
Climate Change and thus, making this country highly relevant to every Climate
Action discussion.
Let us have a
detailed look at the pledges made by India towards Climate Action in the Paris
Agreement.
(Source - https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/india/)
(Source - https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/india/)
Towards achieving
these goals, the Indian government has already started multiple schemes and is
proactive in trying to raise awareness about the dangers of Climate change.
But with all said
and done, we must also understand that while these figures are alarmingly high,
India is currently the world’s fastest growing economy in the world. In PM
Narendra Modi’s words, ‘it is the need, not the greed’ of India which
has resulted in such high figures.
Business Implications
and responses
Climate change impacts
natural and human systems globally through the increase globally averaged
surface temperature, extreme weather events, changing precipitation patterns,
rising sea levels and ocean acidification.
There
is a strong case for business leadership in SDG 13. Businesses need to protect
their operations from climate change impacts and implement far reaching
innovative steps to bring climate change awareness.
Major
implications of SDG 13 on businesses and their responses are:
1.
Ensure climate resilience of company and communities nearby
Response:
Understand climate risk and build resilience into the company’s assets and
supply chain. Companies undertake portfolio review, assess vulnerabilities to
natural disasters and identify exposure w.r.t location and assests.
2.
Reduce emissions significantly through new technologies
Response:
Companies have started decarbonizing their operations to improve energy
efficiency, reduce carbon footprint and invest in building low GHG emitting
products and services.
3.
Aim for products and services that have negligible emissions
Response:
Electric vehicle manufacturing companies have started to partner with solar
companies to generate energy from renewables
4.
Promote climate conscious behaviour
Response:
Host workshops that train farmers on adopting agricultural practises that are
more environmentally sustainable.
What various companies are doing with respect to Climate
change?
1.
Coca Cola:
Climate
change has had a deep impact on intensive water-consuming companies. Coca Cola
had to suspend its operations in three of its bottling plants due to serious
water shortage. Water is a prime ingredient of every Coca Cola product and is
an integral part of its supply chain. The company recognized the need for a
sustainable development model and to tackle the problem, the company instituted
a system-wide water stewardship platform that aimed at returning the amount of
water equivalent to that it has used. The company improved manufacturing
efficiency that reduced water wastage and built water treatment facilities to restore
water to natural reservoirs.
2.
Infosys:
Infosys is using cutting-edge technologies and
its sprawling campuses as live labs to find new ways of conserving energy. It
has been able to reduce its per capita electricity consumption by 51% over a
period of 9 years and has installed 15.2 MW solar plant on the rooftop of its
campus and as ground-mount installations. It has met 44.6% of our electricity
requirements from renewable energy sources. It also treats and recycles
water to reduce its dependence on freshwater and has been able to reduce per
capita water consumption by 46%.
3. Aditya Birla Group:
Through Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) it has been able to
better understand all environmental impacts of its products throughout their
life cycle and has been able to reduce the overall carbon footprint per tonne
of carbon black by 12%. This was done through greater efficiency in converting
carbon into carbon black, optimizing our energy performance, and increasing the
proportion of its feedstock that is sourced locally.
It has also made reducing water consumption one of its
priorities seeks to reuse and recycle as much water as possible. Once water has
been used in the manufacturing process at one place, it is directed into
retention ponds so it can be re-directed back into another process where
high-quality water is not a necessity. Its water conservation best practices
are shared across all our locations as part of our Sustainable Operational
Excellence (SOE) strategy. In its facility at Alexandria, Egypt, it has
implemented a number of water-related best practices has been able to achieve
zero liquid discharge.
4.
Hindustan Unilever Limited:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
HUL has set target to halve its GHG
emissions across all its products by 2030. It has already achieved 52%
reduction in CO2 from energy/ton of production since last 10 years.
Water Usage and Sourcing:
HUL has vowed to reduce the water
abstraction volume to below 2008 levels and has already achieved 44% reduction
so far.
HUL has targeted to source all its
(100%) agricultural inputs sustainably by 2020.
5.
Reckitt Benckiser
RB reduced its warehouse energy consumption by 50% by
installing sunlight domes and tubes and highly efficient replacement lighting
and has also committed to source 100% of its electricity from renewables by
2030.
RB undertook geological analysis
and installed rain water harvesting and direct feeds into the water table to
recharge local groundwater.
6. Samsung Electronics:
The company meets eco-consulting
firms twice a year to work towards a more sustainable development of their
products. Some of the strategies they’ve come up with to reduce their Carbon
footprint and contribute towards a cleaner environment are :-
·
Introduced
Intensity-based GHG Emissions standards for Global Worksites. Base emissions in
2018 were 3.59. Aim is to reduce it to 1.55 by 2020.
·
Cumulative
Greenhouse Gas Reduction method in Product Use Phase itself to get the
accumulated reduction figure from 243 in 2018 to 250 in 2020
·
Increased
energy efficiency of motors of Washers and Refrigerator compressors
Analysis and the Suggested path ahead
India is a signatory to the Paris agreement to
combat climate change, and has been contributing to the efforts of keeping the temperature
increase limited to a maximum of 1.5 degrees in the century. According to the
UN, the goal to limit the global temperature would require an investment of
about 2.4 trillion dollar annually over the next 15 years.[1] The figure is huge,
representing 2.5% of the global GDP but the benefits would be no less than
miraculous if we are able to achieve the targets: better availability of water,
sustainable development and reduced air pollution for the future generations.
However, the amount being invested currently for the goal, is a fraction of the
target.
India has continually contributed towards
efforts of combating climate change as was demonstrated in India’s BUR
(Biennial Update Report) to UNFCC in 2018. As per the BUR, India is on track to
achieve its 2020 climate goal. However there have been claims that India’s
afforestation and carbon footprint reduction figures have been widely
exaggerated. Nonetheless, India has taken multiple actions to combat climate
change. India, along with France, formed the International solar alliance which
has contributed to massive deployments of affordable solar energy across
developing countries. Growing further in this direction, India must look to
enhance its policies so as to incentivise corporates to invest in solar and
other renewable technologies and attract more private players in the
sector.
The recent global climate action treaties like
the UNFCCC, the Paris agreement, and COP24, has seen greater call to action on
the part of the developed nations to combat climate change, but the support
from them has been lukewarm. For a developing country like India,
integrating sustainable development goals into its policies puts huge financial
pressure on its finances. To combat the strain, India must look for support in
financing the SDG, with support from the international community, and the
developed nations. Data suggests that developing nations are bearing the brunt
of the climate damage caused by the already developed nations. For this reason,
the developed economies must support the developing countries financially.
The lack of government and political will, has
also been a major obstacle for most countries across the globe. To combat
Climate change, a deep overhaul of the way the Indian government approaches the
problem, is needed. There is also a major deficiency in the current domestic
policies meeting the latest climate action targets. India needs a major
overhaul in its policies to match stride with the latest global climate action
treaties like the Paris agreement and the latest developments on climate
change.[2] Most of the policies
followed currently by India, like the Deforestation act are outdated and are in
need of bringing up to the times.
Another major bottleneck in India is the wide
disparity in the action taken by individual states. Although India, as a whole,
has performed well in striving to achieve the Climate Action SDG, the states
have had varying levels of success in contributing to the goals. In the fight
against climate change it is imperative that no state is left behind.
Historically, India has been on a reactionary
mode to the problem of climate change but now the government must proactively
look to formulate policies in line with the latest climate change targets and
attack the problem on the front-foot. They must look to actively reduce
dependence on fossil-fuel based energy
Recent studies have suggested that by planting
trees and restoring forests, marshes, mangroves, peatbogs etc. can help us
mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by 37% from now till 2030. [3]Even after having such a
great impact in saving the environment, the investment in ecological
restoration is limited to just 2.5% of the total mitigation funding. These
methods, also called Natural Climate Solutions are better than currently
proposed solutions which include techniques such as Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) or direct air capture. Other than
sucking out carbon from the air, the natural climate solutions are also
beneficial to the local communities inhabiting these natural spaces. The
benefits to these local communities in turn help in preserving the environment
as such communities have age old traditions with respect to environment
conservation.
[1] NDC Global Outlook Report 2019. (2019). Retrieved
30 October 2019, from https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/environment-energy/climate_change/ndc-global-outlook-report-2019.html
[2] India’s Domestic Climate Policy is Fragmented and
Lacks Clarity. (2019). Retrieved 30 October 2019, from
https://www.epw.in/engage/article/indias-domestic-climate-policy-fragmented-lacks-clarity?0=ip_login_no_cache%3D663836f920957c495428354a8fdcd528
[3] The science — Natural Climate Solutions. (2019).
Retrieved 30 October 2019, from
https://www.naturalclimate.solutions/the-science
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