Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate Action


Every person, in every country in every continent will be impacted in some shape or form by climate change. There is a climate cataclysm looming, and we are underprepared for what this could mean.

Climate change is caused by human activities and threatens life on earth as we know it. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated. Its impacts can be devastating and include extreme and changing weather patterns and rising sea levels.

If left unchecked, climate change will undo a lot of the development progress made over the past years. It will also provoke mass migrations that will lead to instability and wars.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels, emissions must already be decreasing and need to be cut by almost half by 2030, just seven years away. But, we are drastically off track from this target.

Urgent and transformative going beyond mere plans and promises are crucial. It requires raising ambition, covering entire economies and moving towards climate-resilient development, while outlining a clear path to achieve net-zero emissions. Immediate measures are necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

International Institute for Environmental Studies

IIES Peterborough ON Canada C

International Institute for Infrastructure Resilience and Reconstruction

IIIRR Calgary AB Canada D

International Institute for Rights and Development-Geneva

IRD-Geneva Geneva Switzerland J

International Institute for Sustainable Development

IISD 1990 Winnipeg MB Canada F j

International Institute of Administrative Sciences

IIAS 1930 Brussels Belgium B jy

International Institute of Refrigeration

IIR 1908 Paris France B gj

International Islamic Relief Organization

IIRO 1978 Jeddah Saudi Arabia G

International Labour Organization

ILO 1919 Geneva Switzerland B g

International LGBTQ+ Travel Association

IGLTA 1983 Fort Lauderdale FL USA C

International Lithosphere Program

ILP 1980 Columbia MO USA F

International Lupin Association

ILA 1980 Temuco Chile C

International Maritime Organization

IMO 1948 London UK B g

International Meteorological Institute in Stockholm

IMI 1955 Stockholm Sweden N j

International Methane Emission Observatory

IMEO 2021 J g

International Network for Autonomous Ships

INAS 2017 Trondheim Norway F

International Network for Climate and Health for Africa

Clim-HEALTH Africa Brazzaville Congo Brazzaville F y

International Network of Basin Organizations

INBO 1994 Paris France F g

International Network of Environmental Forensics

INEF 2008 F c

International Network of Human Rights | Europe

RIDHE 2019 Brussels Belgium F

International Ocean Discovery Program

IODP 2013 La Jolla CA USA F

International Ocean Institute

IOI 1972 Msida Malta E j

International Office for Water

IOW 1991 Paris France E

International Organisation for Biological Control

IOBC 1956 Wageningen Netherlands B

International Organisation for Least Developed Countries

IOLDCs 1996 Geneva Switzerland C

International Organisation of Vine and Wine

OIV 1924 Paris France C gy

International Organization for Educational Development

IOED 2014 Delhi India G v

International Organization for Promoting Public Diplomacy, Science, Education and Youth Cooperation

Eurasian Commonwealth 1994 Moscow Russia D

International Organization for Science and Technology Education

IOSTE 1979 Sao Paulo Brazil C v

International Organization for Standardization

ISO 1947 Vernier Switzerland B

International Orienteering Federation

IOF 1961 Karlstad Sweden C

International Ornithologists' Union

IOU 1884 Baton Rouge LA USA E v

International Ozone Commission

IO3C 1948 Guyancourt France E v

International Packaged Ice Association

IPIA 1917 Lutz FL USA G

International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems

IPES-Food 2015 Brussels Belgium F v

International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy

IPHE 2003 Grenoble France F

International Passive House Association

iPHA 2010 Darmstadt Germany C

International Peace Bureau

IPB 1891 Berlin Germany B y

International Peatland Society

IPS 1968 Jyväskylä Finland C

International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association

IPIECA 1974 London UK F yt

International Place Branding Association

IPBA 2015 Amerongen Netherlands D

International Plant Based Foods Working Group

IPBFWG J

International Public Relations Network

IPRN 1995 Madrid Spain F

International Radiation Commission

IRC 1924 Boulder CO USA E v

International Rafting Federation

IRF 1997 Cape Town South Africa C

International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

IRHA 2002 Geneva Switzerland F y

International Recovery Platform

IRP Kobe Japan F y

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

1928 Geneva Switzerland F

International Rescue and Emergency Care Association

IRECA 1948 Minneapolis MN USA N

International Research Center for Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO

IRCAI 2020 Ljubljana Slovenia J g

International Research Group for Psycho-Societal Analysis

IRGFPSA Stavanger Norway D

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