The UN charter on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is built on a framework that looks to achieve sustainable development through resilience building, strengthening adaptive capacity, and reducing vulnerabilities. Though climate action is by itself a key goal (SDG13), tackling the impacts of climate change has a major bearing on other SDGs as well. Urgent climate action is key to achieving sustainable development, and any laxity on this front threatens to derail the gains achieved thus far.
Anthropogenic climate change is the key threatening process that has led to an increase in the variability, frequency, and intensity of extreme weather events. Activities that are human-induced through energy use, industrial processes, chemicals, land use changes, forestry, and waste have caused a disproportionate increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Going forward, unchecked climate change caused by human activity may increase the rate of degradation and involve changes in average temperature conditions as well as changes in the frequency of extreme weather events that lead to loss of life and drive millions of people into poverty.
Slow-onset climatic processes such as rising sea levels and desertification also threaten the internal displacement of millions, leading to a loss of livelihood and an increase in poverty. This has a cascading effect on poverty reduction efforts.
Though climate action is by itself a key Sustainable Development Goal (SDG13), tackling the impacts of climate change has a major bearing on other SDGs as well. Urgent climate action is key to achieving sustainable development, and any laxity on this front threatens to derail the gains achieved thus far.
The Effects of Climate Change on Poverty and other SDGs
The effects of climate change are major challenges to achieving the goals of sustainable development, particularly SDG-1: ending poverty in all its forms. Climate change will likely lead to an additional 100 million people slipping into extreme poverty by 2030. Poverty leads to exposure to climate-related hazards for developing countries and vulnerable groups and limits their capacity to respond to the risks of climate change. The need of the hour is to build resilience to climate change to limit the cycle of rising inequality.
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), almost 10% of the world’s population faces food insecurity. In 2021, they further categorized 40 million people in the “emergency” phase of food insecurity. The SDG-2 goals of zero hunger are threatened primarily due to the challenges of higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events has only exacerbated food insecurity. The agriculture sector employs almost two-thirds of those living in extreme poverty, and these people contribute to a major share of the world’s food production. Climate change has started to place an ominous shadow on agricultural development. To increase and secure yields and contribute to food security, an urgent need is to make agriculture resilient to climate change.
Solving climate action is critical to ending the water crisis and create sustainable development. Water has a bearing on all major global issues including health, hunger, equality, livelihoods, etc. The success of all sustainable development goals is dependent on a well-functioning global water cycle. As extreme events like floods and droughts caused by climate change have increased, the number of people with no access to safe water will only increase. Achieving SDG-6, water and sanitation for all by 2030, is way off the mark and has the potential to create chaos worldwide.
The links between climate change and sustainable development cannot be disregarded, more so in developing countries. SDG-13 is unique to climate action and calls for developing an agenda to combat its devastating effects. However, that is the common thread across all 17 SDGs.
The melting of glaciers and rising sea levels with a 1.2ºC increase in temperature above the pre-industrial level has impacted flooding and droughts. Millions of people have already sunk into poverty and hunger, which has affected access to basic services like health and education. Inequalities have expanded, and economic growth is affected. Global warming, if unchecked, will further impact the availability of necessities like fresh water, food security, and energy.
The adverse impacts of climate change undermine the ability of all countries to achieve sustainable development, creating an increased risk to the survival of many societies and threatening the biological support systems of the planet.
Solving climate action is critical to ending the water crisis and creating sustainable development. Water has a bearing on all major global issues including health, hunger, equality, livelihoods, etc. The success of all Sustainable Development Goals is dependent on a well-functioning global water cycle.
Promoting Good Agricultural Development Practices (GAP) In India
S M Sehgal Foundation (Sehgal Foundation) is a sustainable rural development NGO in India that has been working since 1999 to improve the quality of life in rural communities. Sehgal Foundation’s main program areas are Water Management, Agricultural Development, Local Participation and Sustainability, Transform Lives one school at a time, and Outreach for Development.
The mission of S M Sehgal Foundation is to strengthen community-led development initiatives to achieve positive social, economic, and environmental change across rural India. The goal is to empower rural communities in India and enable them to lead more secure, prosperous, and dignified life.
Working together with the Government and with support from donors and partners, S M Sehgal Foundation’s grassroots programs and development interventions have already impacted people in 11 states across India, empowering individuals and communities in need to escalate and enhance their development.
Sustainable Guar Project in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan
S M Sehgal Foundation kicked off Sustainable Guar Project in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, with its partner organization, Ashland LLC, to improve and replicate its agricultural development and water management innovations to improve the quality of life of the farming community. The project commenced with 250 farmers in 2021–22 in ten villages of Sriganganagar. After the farmers’ overwhelming response, the project expanded its reach to an additional 1,600 farmers every year for the next three years. By 2025, the project aims to cover 5,000 farmers.
The project trains farmers about regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, and about the Package of Practices (PoP) of guar and other crops. PoP helps farmers understand the importance of balanced nutrition for their crops, helps to reduce the cost of cultivation, and increases overall profitability.
Cluster bean (guar) is a crop that requires less water, fewer fertilizers, and less labor than crops like cotton and soybean. It also helps in nitrogen fixation, which further provides nitrogen to the next year’s crop. So the project is promoting guar sowing for crop rotation to maintain soil health and promote crop diversity.
Farmers are using guar for their consumption and selling seeds of guar directly in the market. The promotion of guar is to be included in the food chain as it has high nutritive value and is widely used in India as a vegetable. Due to rate hikes in recent years, farmers can manage the cost economics of this crop and increase areas under guar cultivation. Farmers have shown a good response and are motivated to join the program. This initiative will not only deliver inputs and training but will promote innovative farm technologies and better agronomic practices, which will bring holistic and sustainable rural development to the farming community.
S M Sehgal Foundation (Sehgal Foundation) is a sustainable rural development NGO in India that has been working since 1999 to improve the quality of life in rural communities. They kicked off Sustainable Guar Project in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, with its partner organization, Ashland LLC, to train farmers about regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, and they will be trained about the Package of Practices (PoP) of guar and other crops.
Conclusion
Despite enduring multiple climate change-induced disasters and tragedies, climate ignorance is as widespread among the young and the mature generations in India. The time has come for a transition away from linear, fossil fuel-based systems. On the other hand, an urgent need is to implement sustainable and equitable production and consumption processes. For these reasons, discussion and action on climate change have to be made an integral part of all SDG goals to make the world a better, safer, and fairer place.
The time has come for the transition away from linear, fossil fuel-based systems. On the other hand, an urgent need is to implement sustainable and equitable production and consumption processes.
FAQs
The United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 intending to end poverty by 2030 and ensure a peaceful and prosperous existence for all. The clarion call was to ensure that “no one on the planet was left behind.” The most fundamental Goal (1) aimed to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere” was the central driving force behind this aspirational vision.
- Agriculture and Food Production
- Energy
- Health-Access to Safe Water
- Industrial manufacturing and processing
Besides the above, water is a key element in marine life, tourism, and a host of other areas and has a direct bearing on the economic development of India, making it a central resource to achieving the lofty goals of sustainable development in India and in the entire world.
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), almost 10% of the world’s population faces food insecurity. In 2021, they further categorized 40 million people in the “emergency” phase of food insecurity. The SDG-2 goals for zero hunger are threatened primarily due to the challenges of higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events has only exacerbated the problem of food security. The agriculture sector employs almost two-thirds of those living in extreme poverty and they contribute to a major share of the world’s food production. Climate change is casting an ominous shadow on agricultural development. Increasing and securing yields and for contributing to food security are essential. The need is urgent to make agriculture resilient to climate change.
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