Aligning Sustainable Development Goals with Climate-Resilient Growth

The policy brief examines the intersection of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the COP 21 climate negotiations, and the Financing for Development agenda. It advocates for a 'bottom-up' approach to climate mitigation through INDCs that are integrated with domestic socio-economic priorities to create co-benefits in sectors like agriculture and energy. The author emphasizes that African nations should leverage clean energy and the energy-food-water nexus to leapfrog fossil-fuel-based development, while highlighting South Africa's green economy strategies as a model for job creation and GDP growth.

• Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) serve as planning instruments to catalyze near-term action and can be used to link adaptation and mitigation strategies to growth sectors and local SDGs.
• National climate strategies can generate co-benefits by aligning mitigation with development priorities; for example, smart agriculture can increase yields during droughts while reducing emissions, and reforestation provides carbon sequestration alongside non-market benefits.
• African countries have the opportunity to bypass traditional fossil fuel-based development by increasing investments in renewable energy, such as hydro-power in Ethiopia, geothermal power in Kenya, and solar power in Ghana.
• In South Africa, green investments are projected to stimulate GDP growth of over 2% by 2030 compared to 2012 levels, though achieving National Development Plan targets requires higher investment in energy and agriculture.
• A 2011 study on South Africa's green economy estimated significant job creation potential: 98,000 in the short term (2011–2012), 255,000 in the medium term (2013–2017), and 462,000 in the long term (2018–2026).
• The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) is encouraged to align INDCs with poverty strategies and emphasize the energy-food-water nexus, while identifying barriers such as lack of capacity building, development finance, and technology transfer.

APA

Chevallier, R. (2015). Aligning Sustainable Development Goals with Climate-Resilient Growth. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Policy-Insights-27.pdf

Chicago

Chevallier, Romy. Aligning Sustainable Development Goals with Climate-Resilient Growth. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Policy-Insights-27.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chevallier |first1=Romy |title=Aligning Sustainable Development Goals with Climate-Resilient Growth |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=27 October 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Policy-Insights-27.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2015aligning, author = {Chevallier, Romy}, title = {{Aligning Sustainable Development Goals with Climate-Resilient Growth}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Policy-Insights-27.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }