Data is key to Sustainable Development and Climate Action
Written by Ismail Weiliang and Adilah Ahmad Khalis, Sustainability Support at COMO Lifestyle and Associate Faculty (Sustainability) for SUSS.
ISMAIL WEILIANG
The Climatebender
Adilah Ahmad Khalis
Sustainability Support at COMO Lifestyle, Associate Faculty (Sustainability) for SUSS
Views are entirely ours
and not connected to any company
Data Gaps Hindering Progress in Sustainability and Climate Action
In our pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), data plays a pivotal role. Yet, as we strive to monitor progress, a significant hurdle emerges: the vast data gaps that impede our ability to effectively measure and track our efforts. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a staggering 68% of environmental-related indicators for the SDGs suffer from insufficient data—a challenge that reverberates across national borders.
In a recent ADB report, it was found that insufficient data is hampering efforts on climate action in Asia and Pacific which is considered the world’s most vulnerable to the effects of a warming planet.
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Quick Take:
- Inadequate data poses a challenge in setting a baseline, planning policies and proposing interventions for SDGs and climate action.
Unofficial Data to Plug the Gaps
Governments and international institutions have long been the custodians of official data, encompassing vital metrics like infant mortality rates, air quality, and access to clean water sources. However, these datasets often fall short, lacking completeness, detail, or accessibility. This deficiency underscores the need to broaden our perspective and embrace unofficial data sources.
Enter unofficial data—the unsung hero in our quest for comprehensive insights. From academic research to remote sensing and crowd-sourcing, these alternative sources offer a wealth of information, particularly in areas such as biodiversity and illegal fishing. While less standardized, unofficial data holds immense potential to fill the void left by official channels.
This unofficial data should still be streamlined with uniform definitions and methodologies. The Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) standard provides a comprehensive framework to streamline data activities that can help economies in Asia and the Pacific design and implement effective, data-driven, and evidence-based policies. Adopting the SDMX standard can help countries collect, exchange, analyze, and disseminate statistical data to help tackle climate change.
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Quick Take:
- Unofficial data sources can plug the gaps in official data. These include data from academic research, remote sensing, and crowd-sourcing.
- Data should be used with uniform frameworks to streamline data activities to drive sustainable development and climate action.
Digital Platform for SDGs and Climate Action
Recognizing this potential, initiatives like the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) have pioneered innovative approaches to bridge data divides. Through the SDG Index and Dashboard (as shown below), which amalgamates both official and unofficial data, organizations can gain a more holistic understanding of progress towards the SDGs. By harnessing the complementary strengths of these diverse datasets, we can chart a clearer path towards sustainability.
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Quick Take:
- SDG Index and Dashboard complements official data with unofficial data to drive sustainability and climate action.
In essence, the key to driving the SDGs and climate action lies in our ability to harness the full spectrum of available data—official and unofficial alike. By leveraging this wealth of information and streamlining it through standard methodologies, we can transcend the limitations of traditional data sources and propel our collective efforts towards a more sustainable and climate resilient future.
Authors:
Adilah Ahmad Khalis is a Sustainability Support at COMO Group and also a Associate Faculty at SUSS Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Ismail Weiliang is an engineering consultant empowering climate resilience for developmental banks and governments with experience across 12 countries in Asia! He runs "The Climatebender” a non-profit organisation that enables climate finance for communities vulnerable to the climate crisis across 11 countries globally.
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