GOAL 13: TAKE URGENT ACTION TO COMBAT CLIMATE Since they were first implemented nationally in 1987,

CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS efficiency standards for dozens of appliances and products
have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air.
Unsustainable consumption patterns in high-income countries That’s about the same amount as the annual carbon pollution
are largely responsible for the climate crisis but every coughed up by nearly 440 million cars.
additional person on our planet adds more emissions. A
comprehensive review of available climate solutions by Project 5. Reduce water waste
Drawdown found that slowing population growth through the Saving water reduces carbon pollution, too. That's
combination of educating girls and providing family planning because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your
would be one of the most powerful ways to reduce water. So, take shorter showers, turn off the tap while
atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) by 2050. brushing your teeth, and switch to Water Sense-labeled
fixtures and appliances.

6. Eat the food you buy—and make less of meat

Approximately 10 percent of U.S. energy use goes into
growing, processing, packaging, and shipping food—about 40
percent of which just winds up in the landfill. If you’re wasting
less food, you’re likely cutting down on energy consumption.

7. Buy better bulbs

LED lightbulbs use up to 80 percent less energy than
conventional incandescents. They’re also cheaper in the long
run: A 10-watt LED that replaces your traditional 60-watt bulb.
GOALS
• Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to 8. Pull the plug(s)
climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all Don't leave fully charged devices plugged into your
countries. home's outlets, unplug rarely used devices.
• Integrate climate change measures into national
policies, strategies and planning. 9. Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle
• Improve education, awareness-raising and human Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles,
and institutional capacity on climate change save fuel and money. And once all cars and light trucks meet
mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early 2025’s clean car standards, which means averaging 54.5 miles
warning. per gallon, they’ll be a mainstay.
• Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective
climate change-related planning and management in 10. Maintain your ride
least developed countries and small island developing If all people kept their tires properly inflated, we could
States, including focusing on women, youth and local save 1.2 billion gallons of gas each year. A simple tune-up can
and marginalized communities. boost miles per gallon anywhere from 4 percent to 40 percent,
and a new air filter can get you a 10 percent boost.
12 simple ways to help stop global warming
11. Rethink planes, trains, and automobiles
1. Speak up! Choosing to live in walkable smart-growth cities and
By voicing your concerns—via social media or, better towns with quality public transportation leads to less driving,
yet, directly to your elected officials—you send a message that less money spent on fuel, and less pollution in the air. Less
you care about the warming world. Encourage Congress to frequent flying can make a big difference, too. Air transport is
enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require a major source of climate pollution. If you can take a train
polluters to pay for the emissions they produce. instead, do that.

2. Power your home with renewable energy 12. Shrink your carbon profile
Choose a utility company that generates at least half its You can offset the carbon you produce by purchasing
power from wind or solar and has been certified by Green-e carbon offsets, which represent clean power that you can add
Energy, an organization that vets renewable energy options. to the nation’s energy grid in place of power from fossil fuels.

3. Weatherize, weatherize, weatherize GOAL 14: CONSERVE AND SUSTAINABLY USE THE OCEANS,
Building heating and cooling are among the biggest uses SEAS, AND MARINE RESOURCES
of energy. Indeed, heating and air-conditioning account for
almost half of home energy use. You can make your space Pollution (plastic and runoff), overfishing, coral bleaching, and
more energy efficient by sealing drafts and ensuring it’s coastal ecosystem destruction all exacerbated by population
adequately insulated. growth. Two-thirds of marine areas have been damaged by
human activity and a third of sharks and rays and a third of reef
4. Invest in energy-efficient appliances corals are threatened with extinction. Tackling the loss of life
under water has to include a commitment to reducing - Plastic stays around for hundreds of years can be a hazard to
population growth and runaway consumption. Family wildlife and leaches toxins into the environment.
planning, women's education and empowerment together can
also enable more women to participate in marine resources 3. Participate in a Cleanup
management; enhance food security and mitigate the impacts - The International Coastal Cleanup is one way to get involved,
of climate change. that is a cleanup that occurs each September. You can also
contact your local coastal zone management office or
department of environmental protection to see if they
organize any cleanups.

4. Never Release Balloons

- Balloons may look pretty when you release them, but they
are a danger to wildlife such as sea turtles, who can swallow
them accidentally, mistake them for food, or get tangled up in
their strings. After your party, pop the balloons and throw
them in the trash instead of releasing them.

5. Volunteer or Work with Marine Life

- Maybe you work with marine life already or are studying to
become a marine biologist. Even if working with marine life
isn't your career path, you can volunteer.
GOALS
• By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine GOAL 15: SUSTAINABLY MANAGE FORESTS, COMBAT
pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based DESERTIFICATION, HALT AND REVERSE LAND DEGREDATION,
activities, including marine debris and nutrient HALT BIODIVERSITY LOSS
pollution.
• By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and Human population growth is one of the main causes
coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse of biodiversity loss. According to WWF, we have lost 60% of all
impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, vertebrate wildlife populations since 1970. During that time,
and take action for their restoration in order to our population has more than doubled. A landmark 2019
achieve healthy and productive oceans. UN assessment explicitly noted that human population growth
• Effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, is an indirect driver of biodiversity loss and stated: “changes to
the direct drivers of nature deterioration cannot be achieved
illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and
without transformative change that simultaneously
destructive fishing practices and implement science-
addresses the indirect drivers.” To be truly effective in the
based management plans, in order to restore fish
long-term, conservation efforts must incorporate population
stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels
solutions.
that can produce maximum sustainable yield as
determined by their biological characteristics.
• Increase scientific knowledge, develop research
capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into
account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer
of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean
health and to enhance the contribution of marine
biodiversity to the development of developing
countries, in particular small island developing
States and least developed countries.

5 ways to protect marine life

1. Eat Eco-Friendly Fish

GOALS
- Going vegan is better for the environment, but you can take
• By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and
small steps in the right direction by eating eco-friendly fish and
sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater
eating local as much as possible. If you eat seafood, eat fish
ecosystems and their services, in particular forests,
that is harvested in a sustainable way, which means eating
wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with
species that have a healthy population, and whose harvest obligations under international agreements.
minimizes by catch and impacts on the environment. • By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable
management of all types of forests, halt
2. Limit Your Use of Plastics, Disposables and Single-Use deforestation, restore degraded forests and
Projects substantially increase afforestation and reforestation
globally.
 • By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded • Ensure public access to information and protect
land and soil, including land affected by fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national
desertification, drought and floods, and strive to legislation and international agreements.
achieve a land degradation-neutral world. • Strengthen relevant national institutions, including
• By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain through international cooperation, for building
ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to capacity at all levels, in particular in developing
enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism
essential for sustainable development. and crime.
• Take urgent and significant action to reduce the • Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and
degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of policies for sustainable development.
biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the
extinction of threatened species. Eight (8) pillars of peace
• Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of 1. Well-functioning government - refers to how governments
protected species of flora and fauna and address both are elected and the political culture they engender, to the
demand and supply of illegal wildlife products. quality of the public services they deliver and their political
• By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the stability.
introduction and significantly reduce the impact of
invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems 2. Sound business government - the strength of economic
and control or eradicate the priority species. conditions as well as the formal institutions that support the
operation of the private sector determine the soundness of the
GOAL 16: PROMOTE JUST, INCLUSIVE, AND PEACEFUL business environment.
SOCIETIES
3. Equitable Distribution of resources - refers to income
In the absence of prosperity and strong institutions, population distribution but more importantly to whether there is equity
growth contributes to conflicts related to scarce resources. and access to resources such as education and health.
Educating and empowering women and communities,
including ensuring access to voluntary family planning services, 4. Acceptance of the rights of others - this category is designed
can help support peace and stability goals by increasing the to include both the formal laws that guarantee basic human
foundation for stability. And where families can choose the rights and freedoms as well as the informal social and cultural
number and timing of their children, women may have more norms that relate to behaviors of citizens.
opportunity to take part in civil society and peace-building.
5. Good relations with neighbors - this refers to the relations
between individuals and communities as well as to cross-
border relations.

6. Free flow of information - this captures the extent to which

citizens can gain access to information, whether the media is
free and independent, as well as how well-informed citizens
are and the extent of their engagement in the political process.

7. High levels of human capital - a broad human capital base

increases the pool of human capital which in turn improves
economic productivity, enables political participation,
and increases social capital.
GOALS
• Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related 8. Low levels of corruption - low corruption can enhance
death rates everywhere. confidence and trust in institutions, which in turn helps to
• End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of create informal institutions that enhance peace.
violence against and torture of children.
• Promote the rule of law at the national and GOAL 17: PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
international levels and ensure equal access to justice Cross-sectoral partnerships that recognize the crucial
for all. links between social and environmental issues are key to a
• By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms better future. COVID-19 has presented unprecedented
flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen challenges, reversing decades of development and causing a
assets and combat all forms of organized crime. deep global recession. Never has there been a more critical
• Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their time for strengthening partnerships and securing the next ten
forms. years of collaboration for sustainable development. The
• Develop effective, accountable and transparent international community must foster recognition of the urgent
institutions at all levels. need to end human population growth as soon as is ethically
• Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and possible, and promote greater investment in empowering
representative decision-making at all levels. solutions.
• By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth
registration.