Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, Equitable Origin and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network have published, “Mapping the Renewable Energy Sector to the Sustainable Development Goals: An Atlas,” a consultative draft on the opportunities for the renewable energy sector to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The renewable energy industry is instrumental to the achievement of the SDGs. Renewable energy is core to the implementation of SDG 7, which focuses on access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy, and SDG 13, which centers on urgent action to combat climate change. Renewable companies can also make critical contributions to the other 15 SDGs, including helping to alleviate poverty, fight hunger, increase access to healthcare, education, and clean water, and protect life on land and in water. As this report details, renewable energy project developers and operators can best support the achievement of the SDGs by incorporating responsible and human rights-respecting practices into their core business operations and collaborating with other stakeholders to amplify impact.
Given the urgency and scale at which renewables must be deployed to meet the world’s sustainable development and climate goals, it is especially critical that the industry understand its potential impacts—both positive and negative—on all of the SDGs. This new report, “Mapping the Renewable Energy Sector to the SDGs: An Atlas,” therefore aims to help senior management, staff, and boards of renewable energy companies to:
- Better understand how the renewable energy company operations relate to the achievement of each SDG;
- Access examples of good practice and guidance on actions that renewable energy companies can take to maximize positive contributions to the SDGs and minimize negative ones
We are currently seeking additional input on this draft and invite your feedback and suggestions regarding:
- Ways to strengthen this Atlas to be more useful for renewable energy companies
- Additional content that is currently missing
- Text to delete or rephrase
- Additional case studies
- Any other relevant input
To access the report and provide feedback, please visit: http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/mapping-the-renewable-energy-sector-to-the-sdgs-an-atlas-draft-for-public-consultation/
Contact Nathan Lobel ([email protected]) with any questions.