United in Science 2023 - Sustainable Development Edition | World Metereological Organization

A multi-organization high-level compilation of the latest weather-, climate and water-related sciences and services for sustainable development also prepared for the occasion of the UN Summit on the SDGs and on the state of implementation of the 2030 Agenda o te 18th and the 19th of September in New York City.

Building on the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023, which emphasizes the role of science in accelerating transformation to achieve the SDGs, United in Science 2023 provides a high-level compilation of the latest weather-, climate- and water-related sciences and services for sustainable development. These sciences and services underpin the achievement of all the SDGs; however, a complete analysis of all the ways in which weather-, climate- and water-related sciences and services support sustainable development is beyond the scope of this report. As a result, eight SDGs were selected to review in this report based on their direct linkages to these sciences: SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 14 – Life Below Water, and SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals. While the remaining SDGs are no less important, their links to weather-, climate- and water-related sciences and services are more indirect and often linked to one of the eight SDGs covered in this report. For example, weather forecasting and climate projections support agricultural decision-making and production, thereby improving food security outcomes (SDG 2 – Zero Hunger), which in turn, improves livelihoods and reduces poverty (SDG 1 – No Poverty). Additionally, in some cases, limited knowledge and understanding of the role these sciences play in enabling sustainable development presented barriers to more in-depth analysis of particular SDGs. The SDGs that are not covered in depth in this report are briefly highlighted in this section.