Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

We are now more than 3/4’s of the way through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with 150 vizzes from nearly 50 participants!!! Thank you everyone for your continued support and a special thank you to our 100% club, Kamegaki Hiroyoshi , JUN Yamazaki, Satoshi Ganeko, Takafumi Shakuya, and Yasushi Ishikawa!

See all of this month’s submissions below, click on them to view them on Tableau Public, and make sure to check them out in our Viz Gallery

February Submissions:

              

           

 

What we learned from this month’s submissions:

  • Each year since 2000, there have been more than 25,000 deaths or missing persons attributed to natural disasters. The deadliest of these disasters include;
    • 2008 Myanmar – Cyclone Nargis (84,560 dead or missing),
    • 2005 Pakistan – 7.6 Magnitude Earthquake (46,750 dead or missing)
    • 2011 Japan – Earthquake and Tsunami (22,466 dead or missing)
  • Although improvements have been made to reduce the number of people severely impacted by natural disasters, the frequency of these disasters has been increasing steadily over the last 100 years, and even more rapidly in the last few decades
  • Only 85 countries have a national DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) plan in accordance with the Sendai framework. Only 7 of these 85 countries are from Eastern and South-Eastern Asia
  • The record for hottest year on record has been set 12 times in the last 40 years, including in three consecutive years between 2014-2016. The record was set only 6 times in the previous 100 years
  • Total emissions have increased by more than 600% in the last 100 years. While many countries have decreased their emissions in recent years, others, especially China, have shown a significant increase
  • Of the Annex I countries, the top 7 emitters have contributed more than 3x the amount of total emissions than the remaining 35 countries, since 2000. The United States is the largest emitter of all Annex I countries by a large margin

How can we help in the fight against Climate Change?

As mentioned in previous posts, many of the Sustainable Development Goals are intertwined. As such, many of the ways that we can contribute to positive Climate Action are the same as the previous goal (Responsible Consumption and Production). By increasing sustainability and responsibility in the ways we consume, we can drive down global emissions and contribute to a healthier planet.  Here are some ways that each of us can contribute in our daily lives

  • Drive less. Walk, bike, or use public transportation whenever possible
  • Avoid driving during peak traffic times
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle!
  • Use power strips and turn them off when not in use
  • Turn off lights when leave the room (or while you’re in the room if they’re not necessary)
  • Donate gently used clothes or other items you are not using
  • Volunteer for clean-up events in your town
  • Buy irregular fruits and vegetables so they don’t get wasted
  • Partner with local restaurants and hotels to donate leftovers to shelters and charities instead of getting thrown away
  • Buy sustainable products whenever possible
  • Reduce water usage by taking shorter showers and turning the faucet off when not in active use
  • Drink tap water or filtered tap water rather than purchasing bottled water
  • Change all of your delivery preferences to e-mail only where possible to cut down on paper waste
  • Eat less meat, poultry, and fish
  • Freeze produce and leftovers if you aren’t able to eat them before they spoil
  • Start composting at home
  • Buy minimally packaged goods whenever possible
  • Shop smarter by meal planning and limiting unnecessary food purchases. Also bring re-usable shopping bags with you when you shop

Thank you for another great month, and keep an eye on our blog for the March Goal Announcement!

By : SDG Viz Project