The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 to end poverty, reduce inequality and build more peaceful, prosperous societies by 2030.
The widespread destruction of the natural world is undermining the pursuit of the SDGs and imperilling humanity’s future. A human-induced triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste is pushing nature to the breaking point.
That is putting at risk the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the materials and resources upon which our societies are built.
The triple planetary crisis is weighing most heavily on the vulnerable, including the poor, women and indigenous peoples. Unless humanity reverses its environmental course, it will be impossible to achieve the SDGs.
UNEP’s core mission is to find solutions to the triple planetary crisis. As the leading global authority on the environment, the institution helps its 193 Member States to foster climate stability, live in harmony with nature and forge a pollution-free future, supporting the achievement of all 17 SDGs.
The work of UNEP on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is coordinated by the Early Warning and Assessment Division.
