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Under SDG 13, climate action is regressing alarmingly in Asia and the Pacific

20 Aug 2024

Regional-level data suggest that progress regarding climate action is regressing alarmingly in Asia and the Pacific.

Focusing on SDG progress, statistics compiled at the national or economy level by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) reveal that the region was falling short of most SDG targets by 2023. Notably, progress regarding climate action (SDG 13) was regressing alarmingly, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Progress on Sustainable Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific, 2023

Support for climate action across Asia and the Pacific requires urgent attention
Figure 1. Progress on Sustainable Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific, 2023
Note: This figure was recreated based on the chart generated by the Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway, which uses data collected at the national level. It is important to note that data unavailability is a common issue across economies and indicators, hence this figure should be considered as indicative references rather than exhaustive datasets. The Current Status Index (CSI), which measures how much progress has been made since 2015, and the Anticipated Progress Index (API), which measures how likely will the targets be achieved by 2030, are the two principal indices used to assess progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. If the region (or economy grouping) has progressed since 2015, the average overall normalized values for the CSI under each goal range from 0 to 10. If the region has regressed, the CSI value is negative and indicates the size of regression. If the current value for an indicator has reached or exceeded the target value, the CSI is automatically set to 10. Meanwhile, the API is only calculated for indicators not expected to achieve the target. If the predicted value has reached or exceeded the target, or is expected to reach the target by 2030, the indicator is automatically classified as “will be achieved”. For tracking progress at the indicator level, an acceptance threshold of minimum 2% change was considered for progress or regression in using both measures.
Source: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway. https://data.unescap.org/dataanalysis/ sdg-progress (accessed 17 April 2024).
A closer examination of progress on SDG 13, conducted by separating the goal into its four indicators, presents mixed results (Figure 2). Under indicator 13.1.2, national governments across Asia and the Pacific appeared to be on track in 2023 for the adoption of national disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies. However, the proportion of local governments that had adopted and implemented localized DRR strategies, as measured by indicator 13.1.3, lagged behind the target for 2023. Furthermore, these policy actions do not appear to have reduced deaths or the numbers of those missing or affected by disasters (indicator 13.1.1). Disturbingly, indicator 13.2.2 shows that progress on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions went even further backwards. 

Figure 2: Progress on the Four Indicators of Climate Action under the Sustainable Development Goals, 2023

Despite improved DRR strategy adoption, disaster impacts and greenhouse gas emissions have worsened.
Figure 2: Progress on the Four Indicators of Climate Action under the Sustainable Development Goals, 2023
Note: This figure was recreated based on the chart generated by the Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway, which uses data collected at the national level. It is important to note that data unavailability is a common issue across economies and indicators, hence these figures should be considered as indicative references rather than exhaustive datasets. The Current Status Index (CSI), which measures how much progress has been made since 2015, and the Anticipated Progress Index (API), which measures how likely will the targets be achieved by 2030, are the two principal indices used to assess progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. If the region (or economy grouping) has progressed since 2015, the average overall normalized values for the CSI under each goal range from 0 to 10. If the region has regressed, the CSI value is negative and indicates the size of regression. If the current value for an indicator has reached or exceeded the target value, the CSI is automatically set to 10. Meanwhile, the API is only calculated for indicators not expected to achieve the target. If the predicted value has reached or exceeded the target, or is expected to reach the target by 2030, the indicator is automatically classified as “will be achieved”. For tracking progress at the indicator level, an acceptance threshold of minimum 2% change was considered for progress or regression in using both measures.
Source: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway. https://data.unescap.org/dataanalysis/ sdg-progress (accessed 17 April 2024).
Read more in Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2024

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