Synergy Solutions for a World in Crisis: Tackling Climate and SDG Action Together

We’re honoured to see our Healthy NDC Scorecard quoted extensively on page 32 of the UNDESA and UNFCCC publication Synergy Solutions for a World in Crisis: Tackling Climate and SDG Action Together, launched on September 13, 2023:

As shown in Figure 2, the overlaps between SDGs and NDC activities are more pronounced for low-income and lower-middle-income countries than for high-income countries, although for both regions, the number of NDCs that make references to SDGs is very low (a little over 200). Specifically, there are more associations between NDC activities and SDGs 2, 7, 15, and 17 for low-income countries, while, in contrast, for high-income countries, the overlaps are greater between NDC activities and SDGs 7, 9, 11, and 15. Indeed, lower, and lower middle-income countries are performing significantly better at integrating SDG objectives into NDCs. For example, the recent Global Climate and Health Alliance report demonstrated that low- and middle-income countries, such as Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, the State of Palestine, and Venezuela, scored the highest for the inclusion of health in their NDCs (Global Climate & Health Alliance, 2023). On the contrary, high-income countries like Japan, New Zealand, and Australia were among the countries that failed to establish linkages with health to their NDCs (Global Climate & Health Alliance, 2023). Similarly, a 2017 analysis of 148 NDCs from developing countries illustrated that the SDGs and NDC efforts have many co-benefit policies. This was particularly evident for renewable energy proliferation (99% of NDCs from developing countries), land use, land use change, forestry (65.5%), transportation (60%), waste management (66%) and agricultural mitigation (65%) (cited in SIDA, 2017). Therefore, in such countries, climate action would have a greater impact on advancing an SDG than their high-income counterparts.

Download report: Synergy Solutions for a World in Crisis: Tackling Climate and SDG Action Together
More more information, see Healthy NDC Scorecards 2023

 

Health NDC Scorecard - health and climate action by countries