Urgent and ambitious climate action is indispensable to achieve sustainable development and prevent climate change from threatening the gains achieved. The post-2015 policy agendas including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Paris Agreement, and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) all build on objectives to enable sustainable development by increasing resilience, strengthening adaptive capacity, and reducing vulnerabilities, offering great potential for alignment. Capitalising on and enhancing synergies between the post-2015 policy agendas and dialogues is, therefore, important to benefit from resources and capture co-benefits between sustainable development and climate change action and adaptation.
In this context, Climate Risk Management (CRM) offers entry points for synergising sustainable development and the management of climate risks. Building on existing literature, investigations, and available project information, this reflection paper attempts a better understanding of how a comprehensive CRM can positively contribute to specific SDGs, adding value to ongoing discussions by examining both existing and potential synergies between CRM measures and the SDGs. Multiple synergies between CRM and the SDGs are identified; while CRM aims at fostering a holistic understanding and consideration of past and future climate change impacts in all affected sectors as well as needs and opportunities to manage possible losses and damages, sustainable development itself contributes to strengthened climate resilience.
