As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convenes its 62nd meeting in Hangzhou, China, a team of international scientists led by Dr. Prajal Pradhan from the University of Groningen is urging the panel to more comprehensively integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its upcoming reports.
The call comes as the IPCC begins preparations for its seventh assessment report, slated for release in 2028.
Dr. Pradhan and his team argue that it is crucial for IPCC reports to reflect on all 17 SDGs holistically.
Their research, which analyzed the IPCC’s fifth and sixth reports, revealed significant gaps in the coverage of SDGs, including gender equality, education, inequality, and health issues.
“Climate change and sustainability cannot be seen in isolation,” Dr. Pradhan in a statement, Tuesday (27/2/2025). “If we want to achieve climate actions, we need to link them to development issues.”
He also pointed out that while climate change has negative impacts on several SDGs, climate actions can have positive impacts on sustainability goals.
Professor Klaus Hubacek, a co-author of the study, highlights the importance of the SDGs in making the impact of climate change tangible.
“It’s not just about rising temperatures,” he says. “There is also a direct link to people’s well-being, which the SDGs emphasize. These development issues resonate more with governments, and this is how they hope to accelerate climate actions.”
With the SDGs in place until 2030, the scientists believe that integrating the SDG targets into IPCC reports will contribute to the relevance of SDGs and inform the future sustainability agenda beyond 2030.
“Timing is key,” says Professor Hubacek. “If the IPCC reports reflect on the SDG targets in a more integrated way, they will contribute to the relevance of SDGs.”
The scientists hope their research will provide valuable information to the panelists of the IPCC meeting and contribute to the development of more holistic and policy-relevant climate action strategies. ***
