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The adoption of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement were watershed moments for sustainable development. Agenda 2030 represents a universal development agenda which, for the first, time recognizes that poor people live in poor countries and rich countries alike. The Paris Agreement showed that the world is committed to working together to respond to the threat of climate change. Yet the reality remains that the poorest and most vulnerable are also those most likely to suffer the impacts of climate change. In fact, while the wealthiest 10 per cent of people are responsible for half of total global GHG emissions, it is the poorest half, those contributing only 10 per cent of emissions, who overwhelmingly reside in countries vulnerable to climate impacts.We see these impacts across each and every one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Agriculture, for instance, supports nearly two-thirds of the world’s poor, yet climate impacts directly affect crop yields, limiting food security for millions. The good news is that it does not have to be this way. Action on climate is also an incredible opportunity to advance the SDGs. There is no need to choose between a healthy environment and a healthy economy. We can create economic opportunities while protecting forests, farms, and oceans. We can have progress while improving the health and well-being of people and the planet. The bad news is that the need for comprehensive climate action and a shift to a greener economy is urgent. THE URGENCYIt has not yet been two years since the signing of the Paris Agreement, and yet even in that short time new and more sobering milestones have been reached. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have breached 400 parts per million for the first time. The highest average global temperatures ever have been recorded. We have witnessed exceptionally low sea ices, growing sea level rise, and ocean heat. There have been more extreme weather events like the recent spate of Category 5 hurricanes in the Caribbean and South America, and the record floods across Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.These trends and events are having, and will continue to have, a direct impact on the SDGs. By 2030 up to 100 million more people may be at risk of falling into poverty due to the changing climate (SDGs 1, 10); 120 million more children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia could suffer from malnourishment and stunting by 2050 (SDG 2); and approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress could occur between 2030 and 2050 (SDGs 3, 5). To put it bluntly: our trajectory is unsustainable unless we embrace the transition towards a resilient zero-carbon, green economy. THE WAY FORWARDAchieving the SDGs will require a fundamental transformation of our economies and daily lives. ACHIM STEINER, ADMINISTRATOR, UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)A GREEN ECONOMY: AN ENGINE FOR THE SDGs“THERE IS NO NEED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT AND A HEALTHY ECONOMY. WE CAN CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES WHILE PROTECTING FORESTS, FARMS, AND OCEANS”058 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)