Impacts of climate change in post-conflict Somalia: Is the 2030 Agenda for SDGs endangered?

Abstract

Somalia is in post-conflict era and currently recovering from COVID-19, but severe droughts and enormous floods are disrupting the country’s economy and causing a virtually permanent humanitarian crisis. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its overarching goal to “leave no one behind” protect vulnerable people, but Somalia’s climate-induced humanitarian catastrophe is inflicting substantial suffering and has a dismal prognosis for the country’s 2030 SDG Agenda. This study examines Somalia’s SDGs and climate change. The authors discuss how stakeholders can promote SDGs as a viable strategy during this difficult period. This project educates social and economic authorities on climate injustice in Somalia. Climate change impacts on the SDGs are examined first and the emerging data suggests collaborative solutions are required. Climate change in Somalia will lead to various outcomes but it is too early to assess them. The authors claim that Somalia’s climate disaster makes the 2030 agenda and SDGs very difficult to achieve. As well, Somalia needs SDG13—climate action—to enable all other SDGs to be realised. Somali climate refugees need money and livelihoods, and their problems are aggravated by the need to account for climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation strategies. This study’s only limitation is that it is a qualitative analysis, so future studies should empirically analyse how often catastrophic events affect sustainable development. Global policymakers and stakeholders are informed of how recent extreme climatic occurrences like droughts and huge floods could destroy Somalia’s sustainable development goals and highlight the need for considerable additional efforts to fulfil the relevant SDGs. Subsequently, SDG13 (Climate Action) is vital here and is not solely an environmental necessity, but also a crucial factor in supporting stability, security, and lasting peace in the region.