From SDGs to Climate Change
Integrating SDGs into climate change actions
United Nations University (UNU-IAS)
Spring 2024
Location: Lecture room, 6th floor in the UNU building
Time: 14:00 – 15:40
Lecturer: Dr Akio Takemoto, Dr Mahesti Okitasari, and Dr Himangana Gupta
Contact Information: atakemoto@unu.edu, okitasari@unu.edu, gupta@unu.edu
Office Hours: 9:30-17:30 (by appointment)

Course Description
A response to climate change relies on active and responsive mitigation and adaptation fitting
within the context of sustainability. Limiting warming to 1.5 °C would require halving emissions
by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. This would simultaneously require extensive
sustainable development efforts that will enhance both mitigation and adaptation. On the other
hand, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) interconnect society’s prosperity, human health,quality education, energy savings, wildlife conservation, circular economy, cities’ sustainability,
correct usage of natural resources, and world peace. From eradicating poverty (SDG 1) toensuring clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), building sustainable cities and communities (SDG
11), and preserving life below water and on land (SDGs 14 and 15), most SDGs are intertwinedwith the urgent need to address climate change. Synergizing SDG and climate actions can become
a valuable tool to mitigate and adapt to climate change not only until 2030 but can sow the seedsof transformation for the rest of the 21st century.
Climate action and SDGs are inherently interconnected, reflecting a shared commitment to global
well-being. The synergy lies in recognizing that climate action is not isolated and is integral to abroader sustainable development agenda. This symbiotic relationship emphasizes theimportance of integrated efforts in overcoming three key inertias that still hinder progress: thesiloed nature of actions on development and climate change, the lack of comprehensive strategy
that considers both synergies and trade-offs and investment gaps.
Just transition, participatory approaches, and inclusivity at all levels are key in deliveringsynergistic climate-SDG actions. Implementing mitigation and adaptation strategies calls for avariety of technical and policy solutions across sectors and levels. Simultaneously, placing greater
emphasis on non-climate or developmental co-benefits can increase support for climate action
measures. Focused efforts on synergies alone risks undermining justice as a core value andleaving vulnerable groups and regions often linked to less synergistic targets behind. Acrosstechnical and policy solutions, design, implementation and evaluation, understanding the
distributional effects of climate actions and SDG co-benefits are essential to bridging the1

development-climate silos, designing comprehensive policies and financing actions that leave noone behind.

Course Objectives and Learning Goals
This course aims to explore the knowledge and synergy solutions to deliver climate change
actions and multiple SDGs in a just and equitable transition. The course overviews the synergies
between the international policy framework on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. Second, it examines the social, economic, and environmental
challenges and synergies associated to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and SDGs cobenefits from just transition lens at the national and local levels. The synergies extend to various
areas of transition, such as energy, critical minerals, cities, food security, biodiversity, health, andgender. In contrast, inequity, energy poverty, job loss, biodiversity degradation, and foodinsecurity have emerged as trade-offs. Third, the course provides an opportunity to understandhow distributional effects of climate actions and SDGs co-benefits are essential to designingcomprehensive policies that leave no one behind and can sustainably transform society byenhancing synergies and reducing trade-offs with socio-economic impacts. The course iscomprised of three components as follows:
Component 1: Giving an overview of the synergies, policy framework, and just and sustainable
pathways on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: What are thesynergies between addressing climate change and achieving the SDGs, whereby advancements in
one can lead to improvements in the others? What are the opportunities from the existing climatechange and SDG policy frameworks and actions that can be leveraged to create and deliversynergies? How can justice and leaving no one behind principles be detrimental in achieving
synergistic targets?
Component 2: Exploring just transition implications of the means and pathways by whichclimate and SDG actions are delivered across sectors and synergistic targets are achieved: How
do cross-cutting actions leverage immediate synergies and co-benefits across targets but also riska disproportionately impacted by failure to achieve other SDGs and climate goals? How can justtransition pathways be leveraged to enhance synergies and reduce trade-offs between climatechange actions and social, economic, and environmental impacts? What are the mechanisms,
governance arrangements, and policies that can facilitate or impede the diverse interests to
support transitions that are efficient, sustainable, and equitable?
Component 3: Synergizing finance to deliver climate change actions that have co-benefits on the
SDGs: How can finance mechanisms and tools be designed to enhance synergies between climatechange mitigation, adaptation, and SDG co-benefits?

Requirements and Grading Policy••••

Class participation (10%)
Short report (20%)
Class presentation (30%)
Research paper (40%)

Class Participation
The course requires students to attend all classes, to arrive on time, to complete the readings andto participate actively in class discussions. This means speaking during each and every class. At
the discretion of the instructor, frequent late arrivals or absences may result in a lower grade.
2Assignment 1: Short Report
To develop a thorough understanding of the unique contexts, constraints, and priorities of thecountry that the students will pick, they will be asked to write a short report covering selectedclimate and SDG measures relevant to achieving the Paris Agreement and SDGs, associatedtransition issues, and potential co-benefits of synergistic actions in their selected country. Quality
visualizations such as charts and graphs are strongly encouraged. Students are expected to revise
the assignments based on instructors and classmates’ feedback for their research paper.
Format:• Arial 12, 1.5 space, justified alignment, double side, references (in-text citation andbibliography can include both reports and academic articles)• Harvard referencing style• Maximum of 2,000 words (excluding references)
Submission deadline of the Assignment 1: Tuesday, June 11th, 2024
Assignment 2: Class Presentation
In order to encourage a critical engagement with the literature, to practice students’presentation skills and to stimulate class discussion, each student will present on their shortwritten assignment for no more than ten minutes. The presentations will include proposals foractions to synergize climate change and SDG measures in a just and equitable transition in theselected country.
Assignment 3: Research Paper
The research paper should be a synthesis of the pre-existing assignments providing an overview
of climate and SDG measures, associated transition challenges, and potential co-benefits ofsynergistic actions in the selected country. It must cover relevant Sustainable Development Goals
for the country and provide an overview of interventions taken by the government and non-state
actors to address trade-offs and enhance synergies between climate change
mitigation/adaptation actions and SDG measures, to create socioeconomic co-benefits in a justand equitable transition in the country. Also, propose what research is needed to understand the
problems related to leveraging just transition and delivering climate/SDG co-benefits.
Format:• Arial 12, 1.5 space, justified alignment, double side, references (in-text citation andbibliography can include both reports and academic articles)• Harvard referencing style• Maximum of 3,500 words (excluding references)
Submission deadline of the Assignment 3: Sunday, July 21st, 2024

Course Outline
Lecture
No.

Frame
work

Title

Date

3

Instructors/Invited
Speakers if any

1

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
~ 14:00-15:40

Dr. Akio Takemoto
Dr Himangana
Gupta

An overview of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Mahesti
Okitasari

3

Just transition in energy sector

Tuesday, April 16,
2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Akio Takemotoand Dr Mark
McCarthy Akrofi

4

Just transition in food system

Tuesday, April 23,
2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Eric Herve H
Ponthieu
and Dr Akio
Takemoto

Climate change and sustainable energy(Affordable and clean energy)
Just transition, inclusive development,
and leaving no one behind
Sustainable consumption andproduction and circular economy:
Critical Minerals

Tuesday, April 30,
2024 ~ 14:00-15:40
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
~ 14:00-15:40
Tuesday, May 14,2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr. Masachika
SuzukiDr Mahesti
Okitasari
Dr Upalat
Korwatanasakul &Dr Akio Takemoto

Gender, SDGs, and climate change

Tuesday, May 21,
2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Himangana
Gupta

Climate change and green-blue cities

Tuesday, May 28,2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Juan Pastor
Ivars

Biodiversity, food security, and climatechangeTuesday, June 4, 2024
~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Himangana
Gupta

Biodiversity, health, and sustainability
nexus in the context of climate
resilience

Tuesday, June 11,2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr. Maiko Nishi

Assignment 1: Short report due
Integrated finance: SDG budgeting andintegrated national financing
framework (INFF)

Tuesday, June 18,2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Mahesti
Okitasari

Subnational finance for sustainable
development

Wednesday, June 26,
2024 ~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Kanako Morita

Assignment 2: Class presentations –Group 1

Tuesday, July 2, 2024
~ 14:00-15:40

Assignment 2: Class presentations –Group 2

Tuesday, July 9, 2024
~ 14:00-15:40

Dr Akio Takemoto,
Dr Himangana
Gupta
Dr Akio Takemoto,
Dr Himangana
Gupta

2

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10
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Climate Change and Society
Implementing synergies: Just transition and leaving no one behind

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Overview

Introduction to the course Broad perspective on the synergies
between climate change and SDGs:
Action, timelines, and implementation

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14

15

Finance for SD

13

4

Course Readings
Students are expected to actively contribute to class discussions based on the material provided.
The lecturer reserves the right to update the reading list throughout the course and will alert
students to the changes in class.
Course Readings by each Lecture
LectureNo.
1

Recommended Readings
Introduction to the course – Broad perspective on the synergies between climate change
and SDGs: Action, timelines and implementation: This lecture provides an understandingof how the climate goals are broadly linked to SDGs. It discusses the need for achieving
synergies, through both national and global strategies. It talks about horizontal andvertical levels of governance and streamlining finance to achieve synergy between
multiple goals.
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2

Governance and National Implementation of the 2030 Agenda: Lessons from
Voluntary National Reviews, UNU-IAS Policy brief No18, 2019
Third Global Conference on Strengthening Synergies Between the Paris Agreement
and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (2022).
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/the_third_global_conference_report_11.
08.2022.pdf
IPCC. (2007). The dual relationship between climate change and sustainable
development. https://archive.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg3/en/ch2s2-13.html
WMO. (2021). Climate Indicators and Sustainable Development: Demonstrating theInterconnections. World Meteorological Organization.
https://library.wmo.int/doc_num.php?explnum_id=10804

An overview of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: This lecture provides an
overview of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development processes at the global,
regional, national and local level. It discusses the governance and policymaking aspectsof implementing, monitoring and following up the SDGs, simultaneously looking at how
countries are progressing in their efforts to localize the SDGs. It looks at how these SDG
processes connect to other international frameworks with emphasis on climate actions,
their synergies and interactions. The lecture also offers examples of emerging research
and approaches towards governing the SDGs.
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Biermann, F., Kanie, N., Kim, R.E. (2017) Global governance by goal-setting: the novel
approach of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Curr Opin Environ Sustain, 26:
26-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.01.010
Forestier, O., Kim, R.E. (2020) Cherry-picking the Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal prioritisation by national governments and implications for global governance.
Sustain Dev, 28(5): 1269-1278. September/October 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2082
Fukuda-Parr, S. (2016) From the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable
Development Goals: shifts in purpose, concept, and politics of global goal setting fordevelopment. Gender & Development. doi: 10.1080/13552074.2016.1145895
Fukuda-Parr, S., McNeill, D. (2019) Knowledge and Politics in Setting and Measuring
the SDGs: Introduction to Special Issue. Global Policy, 10, Supplement 1, January
2019. doi: 10.1111/1758-5899.12604
Nerini, F., Sovacool, F., Hughes, B., Cozzi, N., Cosgrave, L., Howells, E, Tavoni, M.,
Massimo, T., Zerriffi, J., Milligan, B. (2019) Connecting climate action with other

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3

Just transition in energy sector: This lecture covers the issues of just transition
specifically in the energy sector.
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Akrofi, M.M., Okitasari, M. (2023) Beyond cost: How urban form could limit theuptake of residential solar PV systems in low-income neighbourhoods in Ghana.
Energy for Sus Dev, 74(June 2023), pp. 20-33.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2023.03.004
Akrofi, M.M., Okitasari, M., Qudrat-Ullah, H. (2023) Are households willing to adopt
solar home systems also likely to use electricity more efficiently? Empirical insightsfrom Accra, Ghana. Energy Reports, 10(Nov 2023), pp. 4170-4182.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2023.10.066
Akrofi, M.M., Okitasari, M., Korwatanasakul, U. (2024) Stakeholders’ awareness ofurban form effects on rooftop solar PV and its implications for integrated solar
energy and urban planning in Ghana. Energy for Sust. Dev., 78(Feb 2024), 101377.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2024.101377

Just transition in food system: This lecture provides the issues of just transition
specifically in the food system. It will feature the Farm to Folk Strategy by EU which aims
to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly.
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sustainable development goals. Nat Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-0190334-yDzebo, A., Janetschek, H., Brandi, C., Iacobuta, G. (2019) Connections between the
Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda. Working Paper September 2019. Stockholm
Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/08/connections-between-the-paris-agreement-and-the2030-agenda.pdf
Gustafsson, S., Ivner, J. (2018) Implementing the Global Sustainable Goals (SDGs)
into Municipal Strategies: Applying an Integrated Approach, in W. Leal Filho (ed.)
Handbook of Sustainable Science and Research, World Sustainability Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63007-6_18

Crippa, M., Solazzo, E., Guizzardi, D. et al. Food systems are responsible for a third ofglobal anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nat Food 2, 198–209 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00225-9
Matsushita, K., Snower, D., Yamaguchi, S., Takemoto, A., et al. (2023). Integrated
approach for well-being, environmental sustainability, and just transition. Think 7
Japan 2023 Task Force 2 Issue Paper.
European Union (2019). REFLECTION PAPER TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE
BY 2030. URL: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/3dab8f758c9d-4cf2-b215-d9098e69b654_en?filename=rp_sustainable_europe_3001_en_web.pdf
European Union (2020). Farm to Fork Strategy: For a fair, healthy andenvironmentally-friendly food system. URL:
https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/download/472acca8-7f7b-4171-98b0ed76720d68d3_en?filename=f2f_action-plan_2020_strategy-info_en.pdf

European Union (n.a.). Strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture. URL:
https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-20192024/european-green-deal/agriculture-and-green-deal/strategic-dialoguefuture-eu-agriculture_en

Climate change and sustainable energy (Affordable and clean energy): This lecture
discusses the needs for sustainable energy in the context of climate change, focusing on
population growth, rising emissions, GDP per capita, and GHG pathways. It presents how
sustainable energy technologies, including solar energy, wind energy and achieving

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higher efficiency in conventional technologies, can help in climate mitigation. It also talks
about sustainable development benefits through the introduction of such technologies.
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Just transition, inclusive development, and leaving no one behind: This lecture
elaborates on the concepts of just transition, inclusive development, and leaving no one
behind in the context of climate-SDG synergies and low-carbon economy. The discussion
covers what just transition means for different economies (e.g., middle income
countries) and the work program on just transition pathways and its intersectionality inselected key areas for implementation, e.g., national strategies and priorities,
international cooperation.
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Hernandez, R. R., Jordaan, S. M., Kaldunski, B., & Kumar, N. (2020). Aligning Climate
Change and Sustainable Development Goals with an Innovation Systems Roadmap
for Renewable Power. Frontiers in Sustainability, 1.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2020.583090
Suzuki, M. (2014). Addressing key issues in technology innovation and transfer ofclean energy technologies: A focus on enhancing the enabling environment in thedeveloping countries. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 16(2), 157–169.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-013-0059-5
Suzuki, M. (2015). Identifying roles of international institutions in clean energy
technology innovation and diffusion in the developing countries: Matching barriers
with roles of the institutions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 98, 229–240.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.070

Denton et al. (2022) Accelerating the transition in the context of sustainable
development. In IPCC, 2022: Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change.
Contribution of WG III to AR6 of IPCC. doi: 10.1017/9781009157926.019
McCauley, D. & Heffron, R (2018) Just transition: Integrating climate, energy, andenvironmental justice. Energy Policy, 119, August 2018, 1-7.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.04.014
Newell, P. & Mulvaney, D. (2013) The political economy of the ‘just transition.’ Geogr.
J., 179(2), 132–140, doi:10.1111/geoj.12008.

Sustainable Consumption and Production and Circular economy: Critical Minerals

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Janardhanan, N., Moinuddin, M., Olsen, S., Murun, T., Kojima S., Takemoto, A.,
Korwatanasakul, U., Okitasari, M, Goel, S., Moerenhout, T., Narula, K., Sedaoui.
R.(2023). Critical Minerals for Net-Zero Transition: How the G7 can Address Supply
Chain Challenges and Socioenvironmental Spillovers. Think 7 Japan 2023 Task Force
2 Policy Brief. https://think7.org/critical-minerals-for-net-zero-transition-how-theg7-can-address-supply-chain-challenges-and-socioenvironmental-spillovers/
What are ‘critical minerals’ and what is their significance for climate change action?
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-critical-mineralsand-what-is-their-significance-for-climate-changeaction/#:~:text=The%20mining%20and%20refining%20of,water%20sources%20f
rom%20leached%20chemicals.
Environmental aspects of critical minerals in Africa in the clean energy transition(UNEP).
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/43012/minerals_africa.p
df?sequence=3&isAllowed=yCritical Mineral Mining and Sustainable Development in Africa.
https://repository.mines.edu/bitstream/handle/11124/176553/Payne-Institute-

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Commentary-Critical-Mineral-Mining-and-Sustainable-Development-inAfrica.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Evaluating sustainability impacts of critical mineral extractions: Integration of life
cycle sustainability assessment and SDGs frameworks.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13317
Transforming Critical Mineral Demand for the Just Energy Transition.
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/202311/Rachel%20Herring_SAND2023-11056.pdf
Critical Mineral Challenges Complicate a Rapid Clean Energy Transition.
https://economics.rikkyo.ac.jp/research/paper/pudcar00000002ed-att/p001024_77-2.pdf
Trost, J.N., Dunn, J.B. Assessing the feasibility of the Inflation Reduction Act’s EV
critical mineral targets. Nat Sustain 6, 639–643 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01079-8
Critical mineral sustainable supply: Challenges and governance.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103101
Friend-shoring and critical minerals: Exploring the role of the Minerals Security
Partnership. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103085
Hendrix, C., 2023. Political unrest in Africa threatens global critical mineral supplies
and their futures. United States of America. Retrieved fromhttps://policycommons.net/artifacts/4827377/political-unrest-in-africa-threatensglobal-critical-mineral-supplies-and-their-futures/5664084/ on 29 Jan 2024. CID:
20.500.12592/7ccc0n
Critical Mineral Supply Constraints and Their Impact on Energy System Models.
https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2023/06/CriticalMineralsSupply-Commentary_CGEP_0523232.pdf

Gender, SDGs, and Climate change: As the role of women engagement in climate
negotiations become important, this lecture sheds light on current situation at thegrassroot level, and how climate change enhances gender inequality. In addition topresenting some case studies showing disproportionate impacts, it shows research
trends on this topic, presenting solutions for their engagement, including throughempowerment, policy coherence, technology and awareness, and through multistakeholder engagement.
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Gupta, H. (2015). Women and climate change: Linking ground perspectives to theglobal scenario. Indian Journal of Gender Studies. Available at:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282468449_Women_and_Climate_Change_Linking_Ground_Perspectives_to_the_Global_Scenario
Masika, R. (2002). Gender, Development, and Climate Change. Oxfam. Available at:https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/121149/bkgender-development-climate-change-010102en.pdf;jsessionid=9D5C095E571CEF07453DF8D0DE95B697?sequence=1
Hone, K. (2013). The ‘Doha Miracle’? Where are the women in climate change
negotiations? E-International Relations. http://www.e-ir.info/2013/01/18/thedoha-miracle-where-are-the-women-in-climate-change-negotiations/
Dimensions and examples of the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change, therole of women as agents of change and opportunities for women. Synthesis report by
the secretariat (2022): https://unfccc.int/documents/494455

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9Climate change and green-blue cities: The benefits of a green and blue infrastructure will
be introduced, in concrete when mitigating and adapting to climate change. The case ofKanazawa city will be explained.
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Alebel , Pastor-Ivars, Juan and Sahle, Mesfin, (2023). The state-of-the-art and future
research directions on sacred forests and ecosystem services. Environmental
Management, 71(June 2023), 1255-126.
Bai, Xuemei, Richard J. Dawson, Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Gian C. Delgado, Aliyu Salisu
Barau, Shobhakar Dhakal, David Dodman, Lykke Leonardsen, Valérie MassonDelmotte, and Debra Roberts. “Six research priorities for cities and climate change”
Nature 555, no. 7694 (2018): 23-25.
Cocks, ML, & Shackleton, C.M. (Eds.). (2020). Urban Nature: Enriching Belonging,Wellbeing and Bioculture (1st ed.). Routledge. Chapter 2: Pastor-Ivars, Juan. The veil,
the clearing and the flow New commons of Japanese traditional gardens in Kanazawa
city https://library.unu.edu/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=41947
Connop, Stuart, Paula Vandergert, Bernd Eisenberg, Marcus J. Collier, Caroline Nash,
Jack Clough, and Darryl Newport. “Renaturing cities using a regionally-focusedbiodiversity-led multifunctional benefits approach to urban green infrastructure.”
Environmental Science & Policy 62 (2016): 99-111.
Kabisch, Nadja, Niki Frantzeskaki, Stephan Pauleit, Sandra Naumann, McKenna
Davis, Martina Artmann, Dagmar Haase et al.“Nature-based solutions to climatechange mitigation and adaptation in urban areas: perspectives on indicators,
knowledge gaps, barriers, and opportunities for action.” Ecology and Society 21, no.
2 (2016).
Malcolm, Stephanie E. Austin, Lea Berrang-Ford, and James D. Ford. “Public healthadaptation to climate change in large cities: A global baseline.” International Journalof Health Services 46, no. 1 (2016): 53-78. (Available on JSTOR with a free personalaccount, up to 100 article each month)
Nick Watts et.al Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health.
The Lancet, Volume 386, Issue 10006,2015, Pages 1861-1914
PASTOR-IVARS, Juan. ed. (2019) Restoring Kinship with Nature through Japanese
Gardens: The Challenge to Achieve a Sustainable Commons in Kanazawa UNU-IASOUIK, Kanazawa, Japan. 132pp. https://ouik.unu.edu/wpcontent/uploads/Booklet5-Restoring-Kinship-with-Nature-through-JapaneseGarden.pdf

Biodiversity, food security, and climate change: This lecture discusses the climatebiodiversity-food nexus in terms of policy interlinkages, drivers and impacts, carbon
offsets and various sub-nexuses linked to SDGs. It discusses case studies highlighting
nature-based solutions on-the-ground that can effectively address climate, food, andbiodiversity objectives, while contributing to SDGs holistically.
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Basics: Connecting biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation:
Report of the second ad hoc technical expert group on biodiversity and climatechange: https://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/ahteg-brochure-en.pdf
Climate change, biodiversity and nutrition nexus:
https://www.fao.org/3/cb6087en/cb6087en.pdf
IPBES and IPCC workshop report:
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2021/07/IPBES_IPCC_WR_12_2020.pdf
UNFCCC COP 21 decision on alternative policy approaches:
https://unfccc.int/files/meetings/paris_nov_2015/application/pdf/sbsta_42_agend
a_item_4_alternative_policy_approaches_auv_template.pdf
Smith, P., Calvin, K., Nkem, J., Campbell, D., Cherubini, F., Grassi, G., Korotkov, V., Le
Hoang, A., Lwasa, S., McElwee, P., Nkonya, E., Saigusa, N., Soussana, J.-F., Taboada, M.
A., Manning, F. C., Nampanzira, D., Arias-Navarro, C., Vizzarri, M., House, J., … Arneth,
A. (2020). Which practices co-deliver food security, climate change mitigation and

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Biodiversity, health and sustainability nexus in the context of climate resilience: This
lecture contextualizes the nexus approach to landscape and seascape management in theera of climate crisis. It introduces the theoretical and methodological development
concerning biodiversity, health, and sustainability nexus. It also discusses several casesof landscape and seascape management where nexus approaches are practiced inenhancing both ecosystem and human health while ensuring climate resilience.
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Folke, C. (2006). Resilience: The emergence of a perspective for social–ecologicalsystems analyses. Global environmental change, 16(3), 253-267.
Liu, J., Hull, V., Godfray, C., Tilman, D., Gleick, P. H., Hoff, H., Pahl-Wostl, C., Xu, Z.,
Chung, M. G., Sun, J., & Li, S. (2018). Nexus approaches to global sustainable
development. Nature Sustainability, 1(9), 466–476.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0135-8
Nilsson, M., Griggs, D., & Visbeck, M. (2016). Policy: Map the interactions between
sustainable development goals. Nature, 534(7607), 320–322.
https://doi.org/10.1038/534320a
Nishi, M., Natori, Y., Dublin, D. (2021). Resilience in landscapes & seascapes: Buildingback better from COVID-19. UNU-IAS Policy Brief 2021, 26, 1–4.
http://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:8409/UNU-IAS-PB-No26-2021.pdf
Nishi, M., Subramanian, S.M., Gupta, H. (2022). Introduction. In: Nishi, M.,
Subramanian, S.M., Gupta, H. (eds) Biodiversity-Health-Sustainability Nexus in SocioEcological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS). Satoyama Initiative
Thematic Review. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-98934_1
Weitz, N., Carlsen, H., Nilsson, M., & Skå nberg, K. (2018). Towards systemic andcontextual priority setting for implementing the 2030 agenda. Sustainability Science,13(2), 531–548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-017-0470-0

Integrated finance: SDG budgeting and integrated national financing framework (INFF):
This lecture discusses the funding gap and disjointed approach challenges to climate and
SDG finance, and initiatives towards an integrated approach at the global-national levels.
It covers SDG budgeting, INFF, and strategies at policy level (e.g., role of LT-LEDS) andproject level (e.g., JETP) to synergise climate-SDG finance.
••

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adaptation, and combat land degradation and desertification? Global Change Biology,
26(3), 1532–1575. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14878
Behnassi, M., & Gupta, H. (2022). Managing the Food Security, Biodiversity, andClimate Nexus: Transformative Change as a Pathway. In M. Behnassi, H. Gupta, M.
Barjees Baig, & I. R. Noorka (Eds.), The Food Security, Biodiversity, and Climate
Nexus (pp. 15–34). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/9783-031-12586-7_2

Kreibiehl, S. et al. (2022) Investment and finance. In IPCC, 2022: Climate Change
2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of WG III to AR6 of IPCC. doi:
10.1017/9781009157926.017
Iacobuţă, G.I., et al. (2022) Aligning climate and sustainable development financethrough an SDG lens. The role of development assistance in implementing the Paris
Agreement. Global Env Ch, 74, May 2022, 102509.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102509

Subnational finance for sustainable development: This lecture covers two aspects ofsustainable finance for sustainable development by using some cases. One is sustainablefinance regarding financial stability, and another is exploring effective ways to achievesustainable development (Ferri and Acosta, 2019).

10• UNEP Inquiry, 2016a: Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System:
Definitions and Concepts – Background Note. UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. 19 pp.
https://unepinquiry.org/publication/definitions-and-concepts-backgroundnote/• United Nations, Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development, Financing for
Sustainable Development Report 2023: Financing Sustainable Transformations. (NewYork: United Nations, 2023), available from:https://developmentfinance.un.org/fsdr2023..
• Kreibiehl, S. et al. (2022) Investment and finance. In IPCC, 2022: Climate Change
2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of WG III to AR6 of IPCC. doi:
10.1017/9781009157926.017• Giovanni Ferri and Bonnie Annette Acosta. 2019. Sustainable Finance for Sustainable
Development., CERBE Working Papers from CERBE Center for Relationship Banking
and Economics No. 30. https://repec.lumsa.it/wp/wpC30.pdf

Important Information
Class Conduct & Etiquette
Students are expected to arrive on time and not to engage in disruptive behavior during class.
This includes, among other things, private side conversations, the use of mobile phones and otherelectronic devices, or the reading of newspapers. Mobile phones should be switched off and stored
in the bag. We wish to create an atmosphere of open and tolerant discussion in the classroom andrequest students to recognize every individual’s right to have an opinion. The lecturer and otherstudents should be treated with dignity and respect, particularly in discussions on contentious
political issues where a diversity of opinion will likely arise. However, we also recognize that there
are limits to tolerance and the lecturer reserves the right to request disciplinary action against
any student who violates this policy or repeatedly shows disruptive behavior in class.
Computer Use in Class
The use of computers (including tablets) in the classroom is restricted to taking notes, reading
the course material or searching for course-related information on the internet. Any disruptionof the class by cell phones, instant messaging programs or other communication devices will not
be tolerated. The lecturer reserves the right to revoke this permission if a student is found using
a computer for any non-course related activities.
Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct
Please be aware that the consequences of plagiarism are severe, and students found guilty ofacademic misconduct will be punished in accordance with UNU’s academic honesty policies. The
lecturer reserves the right to run all assignments through an anti-plagiarism software provided
by the UNU. If evidence of academic misconduct on the assigned presentations, the mid-term
exam or the final essay should be found, the assignment will receive a failing grade. In case of
repeated violations of academic conduct, the student may receive a failing grade for the entire
course and will be reported to the appropriate authorities for disciplinary action.
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Invited Speakers/Lecturers Bio
Eric Ponthieu (Lecture 3)
Strategy Director of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO), Adjunct Professor at Bologna andFirenze Universities, and Associate Lecturer at Ca’Foscari University
Eric Ponthieu holds 28-year professional experience in EU sustainable development policy- anddecision-making, communication, R&D and teaching. He has wide range of interrelated areas ofexpertise including sustainable development, environment, climate, food and agriculture,sustainable consumption, energy, transport, information society, urban sustainability, R&D andinnovation. He is the author of a book on climate governance (Springer, October 2020) andholds a vast teaching experience including as Associate lecturer at Ca'Foscari university andregular Visiting Professor (more than 15 universities as hosts since 2006)

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