Beyond emissions reduction: Climate change mitigation’s path to sustainable development

Mitigating climate change isn't just about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it's also about promoting sustainable economic development and improving people's well-being. Understanding and leveraging the co-benefits of climate change mitigation will advance the achievement of the SDGs by attracting finance, building support and informing strategic policy decisions.

The proposed framework facilitates the integration of climate change mitigation with the SDGs from a low-emissions food systems perspective. The framework consists of six components covering theoretical, technical, and practical aspects. The theoretical aspects examine the drivers of food system emissions and explore the potential co-benefits of climate change mitigation actions on prioritized SDGs by analyzing their connections. The technical aspects identify joint solutions and assessment methods. Finally, the practical aspects address geopolitical, financial, gender, and social inclusion considerations to promote integrated actions that meet both climate and development goals.