Linking fire and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecology
• Climate Science

Background:

• Fire is a natural disturbance impacting 3-4% of Earth's surface annually.
• Human activities, including land clearing and waste burning, utilize fire.
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do not explicitly address fire, despite its impact on ecosystem services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the necessity of incorporating fire as a consideration within the UN SDGs.
• To underscore the environmental implications of fire, including its effects on ecosystem services, air quality, and climate.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on fire's ecological and climatic impacts.
• Analysis of the relationship between fire and the UN SDGs.
• Identification of opportunities for integrating fire management into sustainable development.

Main Results:

• Fire significantly influences environmental protection goals by affecting ecosystem services.
• Fire emissions impact regional/global air quality and rainfall, contributing to global warming via greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2) and short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) like black carbon.
• Fire is a key driver of land degradation, necessitating its inclusion in land management strategies.

Conclusions:

• A fire perspective is essential for achieving the UN's environmental protection vision and the 2030 Agenda.
• Understanding and planning for fire's effects on ecosystem services are critical for sustainable development.
• Transdisciplinary collaboration is vital for addressing complex fire-related issues and climate/land use change.