The United Nations General Assembly adopted Sustainable Development Goal 13 in July 2017. This adoption occurred through resolution A/RES/71/313 which established the official mission statement to take urgent action against climate change.
Target 13.1 requires nations to strengthen resilience against climate-related hazards and natural disasters while Target 13.2 focuses on integrating climate measures into national policies. Target 13.a mandates that developed-country parties mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address developing country needs.
Sea temperatures have risen between 0.5 and 1 degree Celsius globally during the last fifty years. Land areas experienced increases ranging from 1 to 2 degrees Celsius while the Arctic region witnessed dramatic warming of up to 4 degrees Celsius.
Global greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 6 percent from initial projections for 2020 due to a temporary decrease in economic activity worldwide caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This reduction resulted from restrictions that were lifted once government lockdown policies ended leading to a rebound in transport pollution.
Sustainable Development Goal 13 connects directly with the other sixteen Sustainable Development Goals including increasing access to sustainable energy under Goal 7 which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. Organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change monitor these systemic links closely while custodian agencies such as UNISDR report on specific indicators related to disaster reduction strategies.