Seeking Synergy Solutions: How Cities Can Act on Both Climate and the SDGs

Four reports are being launched on 11 June by experts convened by the UN, showing how action to tackle climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals can be accelerated by addressing both crises together, notably in the key areas of policy frameworks; financial systems; knowledge and data; and cities.

Under the umbrella title Seeking Synergy Solutions, the four thematic reports, spearheaded by the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, are being launched at a special event at the climate meetings in Bonn, Germany, laying the groundwork for the 2024 global synthesis report on climate and SDG synergy, to be released in July. The Expert Group is co-convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), which co-hosted the launch, joined by the secretariats of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

[...]

Noting that cities account for more than 70% of the world's GHG emissions and are home to more than half of humanity, the expert group report on How Cities Can Act on Both Climate and SDGs recommends that a key entry point for cities is to promote solutions that reduce consumer demand for carbon-intensive goods and services. These include encouraging a shift to low-carbon transport, energy-efficient heating and lighting, and plant-based diets, all of which support a number of SDGs. The report suggests that city governments adopt concrete reforms in four sectors that have significant potential for synergies: cooling, building energy efficiency, sustainable transport and waste management. (cited from UN webpage)