Editorial by Sébastien Treyer published in the Natures Sciences Sociétés journal (23, 329-330 [2015], DOI: 10.1051/nss/2016001), looking back on 2015—a year of key milestones in global environment governance (development financing, sustainable development goals, climate change)—and focusing on the progress made in terms of commitments and international cooperation on the implementation of the 2015-2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Extract
“The year 2015 was marked by an unprecedented level of engagement by governments the world over with the sustainable development agenda, be it the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted in September or the Paris Agreement on Climate Change reached in December at COP 21 in Paris. While these agreements are not sufficient, they represent the best that the nations of the world—in all the diversity of their political visions and despite their economic, political and cultural conflicts—are capable of. It was completely unhoped for that these governments would accept to give themselves a 15-year transformation agenda. This agenda is based not on the 8 Millennium Development Goals (a bare minimum agreement for developing countries regarding essential needs and services reached in 2000) but on a set of more comprehensive and normative objectives for all development models, ranging from sustainable agricultural and food systems to reducing inequalities.
The Paris Agreement also has great political significance: it represents a truly comprehensive overhaul of international action on climate change. [...]”
