Climate Change as an Existential Threat: Translating Global Goals into Action

Climate change is the greatest existential challenge for the humanity and this makes the implementation of the SDG 13 ‘Climate Action’ and Paris Agreement on Climate Change crucial for our survival. This article begins by elaborating the concept of implementation of international law, makes a comparison between the legal character of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the SDGs. It argues that the Paris Agreement creates the necessary legal framework, transparency, technology transfer, accountability, capacity building, financing and other mechanisms to implement SDG 13. However, the lack of political will and ignorance by some governments has led to a lack of progress, which may jeopardize not only Climate Action, but other SDGs too. The article ends with the argument that UN member-states should undertake urgent action to mitigate climate change, adapt to its negative consequences and co-operate towards an effective global climate governance, and for that matter it would be helpful, if climate action is formulated as a new and separate purpose in the UN Charter.