The failure to comply with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations for 2030 (2030 Agenda)  is bad news for the world and, especially, for the Mediterranean region where climate change is the key challenge of our time and the main challenge for its economic development. According to UN’s 2023 Sustainable Development report, only 12% of the evaluable goals will be achieved by 2030.

ASCAME warns that this situation is particularly serious in the Mediterranean, one of the most affected regions by the consequences of climate change. Not only it causes losses of between 5% and 15% of its annual GDP, but it also causes increasingly frequent natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, rising sea temperatures -it is warming 20% faster than the global average- water scarcity, loss of biodiversity or decreased agricultural productivity. To which should be added the negative impact that non-compliance with the SDGs will have on the achievement of social challenges that are increasingly urgent, such as eradicating extreme poverty, guaranteeing gender equality and inclusive education, achieving a higher percentage of sustainable cities, or moving towards a productive model based on the green and blue economy.

To reverse this situation, ASCAME calls on the public and private sectors to achieve a multilateral agreement in order to avoid further restrictions on the financing of climate action projects, and move towards greater multilateral cooperation, with a global and comprehensive agreement on progress towards sustainable development.