GOAL 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

SDG Progress and Industry Notes

Progress

The 2017 Report of the Secretary-General on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, notes that “[p]lanetary warming continued in 2016, setting a new record of about 1.1 degrees Centigrade above the preindustrial period, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2016. Drought conditions predominated across much of the globe, aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon.  In the Statement, WMO also noted that the extent of global sea ice fell to a minimum of 4.14 million km2 in 2016, the second lowest extent on record. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels also reached a record high of 400 parts per million that year. Mitigating climate change and its impacts will require building on the momentum achieved by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which entered into force on 4 November 2016. Stronger efforts are needed to build resilience and limit climate-related hazards and natural disasters.”

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Goal 13 will be reviewed during the 2019 HLPF.

Industry Notes

Fast facts from the Quantis Measuring Fashion report: “Combined, the global apparel and footwear industries account for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, almost as much as the total carbon impact of the EU. The apparel industry alone accounts for 6.7% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, with more than 50% coming from 3 phases: fiber production (15%), yarn preparation (28%), and the highest impact phase – dyeing & finishing (36%). In a business-as-usual scenario, apparel’s climate impact is expected to increase by 49% – equal to today’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.” See Measuring Fashion: Environmental Impact of the Global Apparel and Footwear Industries study

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Climate change is a top global risk and one that can adversely impact all of the other SDGs. Climate impacts also impact all phases of the Apparel and Textile value chain, from

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