Abstract

This year will mark a turning point for international commitment on climate change. 2015 is the year in which the commitments made in 2000 for the Millennium Development Goals will end, and although not all of the goals have been achieved, good progress has been made. This year the United Nations will launch new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved over the next fifteen years. The SDGs will be based on a proposal set forth by a 30-member Open Working Group composed of a broad number of public and private entities. The proposal, developed according to a science-based approach, highlights «the need to further mainstream sustainable development at all levels, integrating economic, social and environmental aspects and recognizing their interlinkages, so as to achieve sustainable development in all its dimensions». Negotiations will culminate in the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that will be held in Paris this December. Our hope is that they will lead to favorable solutions to deal with the great issues raised by climate change.