Highlighting SDG 13: Climate Action

SDG 13: The Climate Reckoning

For our generation of Young Professionals, Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13): Climate Action is not merely a priority—it is the existential mandate of our time. The world is not asking for help; it is begging for decisive human intervention to stop the ceaseless pollution and systemic destruction of our planet and its vital ecosystems by unaccountable corporations and complacent governments.

The United Nations plays a central role in the global fight against climate change. Through the 2015 Paris Agreement, nations committed to limiting warming to 1.5 °C and implement emissions-reduction plans. The UN’s scientific arm, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), provides critical assessments that shape these policies and highlight the urgent steps needed. 

Through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), countries meet annually to coordinate global climate action. The most recent summit, COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, illustrated both the complexities and opportunities of these global dialogues. While the conference concluded with a resolution that did not directly mandate fossil fuel reductions, it achieved key advances, including commitments to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035 and support for tropical forest protection. The UN’s role in these discussions remains critical, providing an open platform for dialogue. By facilitating these conversations, the UN helps nations find collaborative solutions that strengthen climate action and support sustainable development.

We refuse to accept this status quo. Incremental, solo action is not the solution to a problem of this magnitude. Change will not be won through small gestures; it requires a radical shift in political and economic gravity. We need coordinated, strategic action that targets the very sources of power: aggressive lobbying, binding government intervention, and the mandatory, global enactment of stringent Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies.

To uphold these goals and will realize them through concrete, impactful plans:

Our Action Plans

• Fundraise $10,000 for the Rainforest Partnership to support rainforest conservation.

• Publish informative climate policy briefs to help educate the public and support local advocacy efforts.

• Create impactful climate storytelling media that highlights communities affected by climate change.

• Partner with SDG 4: Quality Education to bring engaging climate education to K–12 students.

To advance our mission, we have chosen to pursue a partnership with Rainforest Partnership, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting tropical rainforests by working directly with rainforest communities and reducing deforestation. Through our fundraising efforts, we aim to support Rainforest Partnership’s on-the-ground programs that protect forests and the people who depend on them.

Together we strive to create meaningful climate impact in our community and contribute to the global movement toward a more resilient future.

Sources Cited:

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/paris-agreement 

https://www.ipcc.ch/ 

https://www.un.org/climatesecuritymechanism/en/united-nations-framework-convention-climate-change-unfccc-and-climate-peace-and-security 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/climate/cop30-climate-summit-ends-belem.html 

Mya Duncan

Edited by Marissa Ambat