Launch of the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2023/24

The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2023/24 (ESDR), a new report released today produced by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in collaboration with SDSN Europe and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), reveals that decisive actions must be taken in the European Union (EU) to avoid environmental and social “tipping points” and to maintain the promise of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement.

The Global Schools Program (GSP) celebrated a special year in 2023 as it commemorated its 5th-year anniversary, highlighting a journey in promoting global citizenship and education for sustainable development (ESD).

Among the many agenda items at COP28, one of the most widely publicized was the promise from over 100 countries to back the pledge to triple the world’s clean energy capacity by 2030. Meeting this ambitious pledge, which sets out to reach 10,000 gigawatts of global renewables by 2030, will require the proper training of a skilled workforce. In 2021, global employment in the renewable energy sector already reached 12.7 million - up one million since 2020 alone. As the world pushes to decarbonize economies, countries must continue to ramp up the deployment of renewables, and train a new generation of young and transitioning workers. Universities have the ability to serve as more effective partners in the energy transition by improving course offerings in renewable energy. Specifically, universities should adapt to provide interdisciplinary coursework for technical renewable energy programs and increase partnerships with government agencies and industry leaders.

In a groundbreaking collaboration, SDSN Pakistan (SDSN-PK), the Institute for Global Health and Development at Aga Khan University (IGHD-AKU), and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), recently convened a transformative conference on November 26 & 27.

The final text of COP28 largely left carbon credits and markets out of the picture, pushing off unanswered questions until COP29 next year.