Harnessing Climate andSDG Synergies
CO-CONVENED BY

First Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergies | 12 June 2023

EXPERT GROUP – Co-leads and members

Barbara

Kaveh

Youba

Buchner

Guilanpour

SokonaSoumyaMercedesMa JunBustamante

Luis Gomez

Heide

Echeverri

Hackmann

Swaminatha
nFelixMånsKazuhikoCreutzig

NilssonTakeuchi

Diana

MeaganTolullah Oni
FalloneUrgeVorsatz

EXPERT GROUP – TIMELINE and NEXT STEPSMayMay 2023

JulyJune

16 July 2023

July 2023
12 JuneAugustSeptember 2023

September
October 2023

Expert Group

12 June: Bonn SB 58

16 July: 4th GlobalFinal draft produced,

Launch of the First

establishedSide EventSynergy Conference (In-reflecting final set of

Global Synergy Reportperson)

substantive inputs

May 5th First Expert

Presentation ofGroup meeting

preliminary messages ofPresentation of theProduction and design

the reportadvanced draft of theprocess initiated andreport

finalized

Peer-review workshop of

the advanced draft of thereport

Scope of the Report● Background – building on the global Climate and SDGs synergies conferences and particularly on recommendations of 3rd global
conference which gave a set of specific recommendations● Climate and SDG Synergies – science, policies, reporting mechanisms○ Science – extensive literature review○ Synergies in Practice - policies, measures, enabling instrument○ Reporting mechanisms – NDCs, VNRs, etc.
○ Lessons learned from best practices● Increasing the ambition○ Robust analytical framework as tool for policy makers to advance synergies.
○ Recommendations for strengthening reporting frameworks● Conclusions and recommendations○ Recommendations for accelerated action designed to advance synergies and focused on answering 2 questions:■ Why is synergistic action not happening at the necessary level?
■ How should we make it happen?
○ Making this report the foundation for a deeper and more rigorous analysis for preparation of report for major summits in 2024including Summit for the FutureWhy is the Report Needed
The problems and the challenges that the report will address:● Much talk about the importance of synergies and the need to enhance the co-benefits and to avoid the trade-off
but very little action on the ground - How can this problem be addressed?
● Increasing recognition that synergies can result in win-win situations, but evidence is dispersed, scattered andoften not easily accessible – Should a platform that gathers this evidence be created?
● The absence of tools for a) identifying and enhancing synergies, and b) for policy makers to enable and promotesynergies – Would an analytical framework that is easy to use by policy makers be a good solution?
● How can finance be reformed to advance this agenda – and can the current debate on the need for reform of theglobal finance architecture make this a critical component of that debate?
● The adequacy or inadequacy of reporting mechanisms - if synergies are so essential for the success of theimplementation of the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 – why are they not made a reporting pre-requisite?

● How can the topics of just transitions, leaving no one behind and equality be given higher attention in this andother debates?

Building on outcomes of 3rd Global Synergies Conference

https://www.un.org/en/climate-sdgs-conference-2022
IISD website:
https://enb.iisd.org/climate-sdgs-conference-2022
IGES website:
https://www.iges.or.jp/en/projects/climate-sdgs-conferenceKey Recommendations from Third Global ConferenceTokyoParticipants highlighted the need to do the following to advance synergies:● Strengthening the evidence base for synergistic action● Enhancing integrated planning● Importance of scaling up capacity building and sharing of good practices● Developing and promoting partnerships for transformation● Convening multi-stakeholder dialogues at all levels● Informing key intergovernmental processes on climate and the SDGs.

Asian Co-benefits Partnership Good Practice Map
More and more countries in Asia are introducing projects that mitigate climatechange while achieving other sustainable development benefits. The co-benefitsmap provides users with important information on co-benefits in key sectors in Asia.
The map covers 49 cases from 12 Asian countries as of June 2023.

https://cobenefit.org/good_practice/Climate and SDG synergies: What the literature says
A preliminary review of over 100 relevant scholarly and grey literature revealed:● Most of the climate measures are government led○ Responsibility on government to ensure that policies bring about intended outcomes● Discussions of SDGs more prominent for studies on Global South.
● Co-benefits of climate actions are often not clustered under SDGs, despite clear associations● Most co-benefits not quantified and/or monetized○ Health most quantified co-benefit and SDG in both the regions, as■ health is a priority sector for most (if not all) countries■ several methodologies present to quantify health co-benefitsClimate and SDG synergies: what stands between
Knowledge

Economic●

Insufficient knowledge of SDG and climate interactions●

Limited national budgeting on addressing synergies●

Unavailability of methodologies and tools map nature and magnitude of●

Lack of enabling financial instrumentsinteractions●

Lack of clarity on the benefits and costs of co-benefits and trade-offs●

Challenge in reconciling climate actions and certain SDGs

Political●

Political cycles that cause changes in political priorities●

Lack of political motivation towards climate policies●

Lack of transparency in responsibility for implementation●

Lack of collaboration between governments and other actors

Evidence of synergies-Climate change and SDGs
SDG

Climate action and synergy

Case study

1. No poverty

Implementing urban poverty reduction programmes that integrate
In Ahmedabad, India, the Slum Networking Project has provided basic services
climate resilience and low-carbon development can improve the living such as water supply, sanitation, drainage, solid waste management, street
conditions and livelihoods of the urban poor, while also reducing
lighting, and paved roads to over 100,000 slum dwellers, while also promoting
emissions and enhancing adaptive capacity.
low-carbon solutions such as biogas plants, solar panels, and rooftop gardens.

2. Zero hunger

In Rosario, Argentina, the Urban Agriculture Programme has supported overPromoting urban agriculture and food systems that are climate-smart
2,000 urban farmers to produce organic food in vacant lots, rooftops, andand sustainable can increase food security and nutrition, while also
public spaces, while also providing training, technical assistance, andreducing emissions and enhancing adaptation.
marketing support.

3. Good health andwell-being

Improving urban air quality and health through low-emission transport In Bogotá, Colombia, the TransMilenio Bus Rapid Transit system has reduced
and energy policies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions andtravel times, costs, accidents, and emissions by providing high-capacity buses
associated health risks, while also enhancing mobility and well-being. that run on dedicated lanes along with cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.

4. Quality education

In New York City, USA, the Climate Change Education Project has integrated
Enhancing climate change education and awareness in urban
climate change into the curriculum of over 600 public schools, reaching oversettings can foster behavioural change and empower individuals and1.1 million students with learning activities such as school gardens, green
communities to take action for mitigation and adaptation.
roofs, and energy audits.

5. Gender equality

Mainstreaming gender equality and women’s empowerment into
urban climate policies and actions can ensure that women’s needs,roles and capacities are recognized and addressed, while alsoenhancing their participation and leadership in decision-making.

In Quito, the Gender Inclusive Cities Programme
has supported women’s groups to conduct safety audits,raise awareness, and advocate for gender-responsive urban planning andclimate action

Some examples of best practices
Country

Climate policy/programme

Co-benefits

New Zealand

Active travel intervention‘ACTIVE’ (ActivatingCommunities to Improve
Vitality and Equality)•USA, Turkey, Germany,India, China, and Brazil

LEED certification of buildings••

Saved $7.5B in energy costs
Averted 33MT of CO2, 51 kt of SO2, 38 kt of NOx, and 10 kt of PM2.5 from entering theatmosphere, amounting to $5.8B (lower limit = $2.3B, upper limit = $9.1B) in climate andhealth co-benefits from 2000 to 2016.

3, 7, 11UK

‘Boilers on Prescription’project•

60% reduction in the number of GP appointments needed by patients taking part in thescheme along
Accident and Emergency attendance being reduced by 30%.
Investing £1 in keeping homes warm is estimated to save the NHS £0.42 pence in direct
health costs.

3, 8, 11

SDG 5 represented 60–97% of the total economic benefits.
GHG emissions reduction per person were approximately 0.5 ton of CO2-eq
Health co-benefits (SDG 3) represented <1% of the total economic benefits.
Annual economic benefits were 316.03 euros and 159.31 euros in Senegal, 334.84 euros
and 144.50 euros in the Gambia and 192.58 euros and 96.55 euros in Guinea Bissau,respectively.

3, 5, 7•••
Casamance NaturalSubregion

Access to clean cookingsolutions••••

Annual benefits for health in the intervention cities were estimated at 34.4 disabilityadjusted life years (DALYs)
2 lives saved due to reductions in cardiac disease, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory
disease.

Focus SDG
3

Towards a framework for advancing synergistic actionMore than a set of tools or methods for identifying synergies
A guide or roadmap; a structured approach to understanding and organizing complex information, making
informed decisions, monitoring action, and communicating outcomes

Key characteristics:
A long-term vision: working towards a common purposeo All sustainable development efforts have to be integrated with efforts to ensure a safe and just climate systemo We need to move beyond a reliance on incremental improvements to pursuing transformational change in theeconomic, political and socio-cultural systems and institutional structures creating and perpetuating theunsustainable and inequitable trends we see today

Transformative• Synergistic action 5Systemic• Synergistic action 4• Synergistic action 3

Practical• Synergistic action 2• Synergistic action 1

A set of principles
o Open scienceo Policy coherenceo Inclusive, equitable partnerships
o Just transitions

Critical fields of actiono Integrated policy and coordinated actiono Capacity development
o Data and monitoringo Reportingo Education and awarenessDefinition of co-benefits●The term ‘co-benefit’ was first used in 1990 to refer to the"unintended positive side effect" (i.e., ancillary benefits) of apolicy (Miyatsuka and Zusman 2010).

●According to the IPCC AR4 report, co-benefits are definedas unintended consequences of actions taken solely toreduce CO2 emissions (IPCC 2007).

●Co-benefits are also known as multiple benefits, coimpacts, multiple impacts etc.

● For this report, we define co-benefits as the intended
positive developmental benefits in addition to theirprimary desired objective which is direct reductionsof GHG and impacts of climate change.

● In particular, co-benefits results from synergistic
action between SDGs and climate action and it
includes both environmental and socioeconomic
benefits and hence seen as a win- win strategyaimedataddressing
bothclimateanddevelopmental goals.

Definition of synergy and trade offs
● Synergies refer to the combined or cooperative effects thatoccur when two or more actions interact in a way that
produces a result greater than the sum of their individualcontributions.
● A synergistic approach to designing and implementing
policies related to climate change and SDGs serves totackle these challenges simultaneously rather thanseparately, with a combined effect that increases theoverall impact of those policies.

● Synergistic action across policy sectors or domains ofpractice increases efficiency in each sector/domain, while
minimising risks, thereby enhancing system functionality
optimality● Trade offs refer to as the negative effects ofclimate change policies/measures.
● Precisely, it refers to the negativeinteraction
betweenclimatechangepolicies/measures
withsustainabledevelopment.
●Responses to climate change can beplanned to maximize synergies and limit
trade-offs with sustainable development