“Climate Action Now – A Summary
for Policymakers 2015” http://climateaction2020.unfccc.int/spm/introduction/ underlines how nations can deploy a
wide range of proven policies and utilize existing initiatives to meet the
common challenge of climate change and sustainable development. The report also
sits on a new microsite http://climateaction2020.unfccc.int/ highlighting the potential for greater
climate action and ambition before 2020, when the new Paris Agreement comes
into effect.
It also highlights both national
and international cooperative actions while underling the vital role of
non-State actors such as companies, cities, regions and provinces in realizing
bigger reductions in current and future emissions.
The report, released by the
secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the
request of governments, provides a straightforward, inspiring go-to-reference
to assist ministers, advisors and policymakers pursuing climate actions now and
over the years and decades to come.
The findings spotlight how effective policies across
six key thematic areas not only reduce emissions rapidly but also advance goals
in 15 other critical economic, social and environmental areas.
The report underlines that the intended national
climate action plans which almost 170 countries have already submitted towards
the new climate change agreement in Paris, in December, have an inordinate
potential to go further and faster, assisting nations to over-achieve on their
pledges.
“Under the UNFCCC, governments have over the past few
years led a significant effort during a series of technical expert meetings to
identify and scope out the policies that lead to effective climate action –
this report is the fruit of that effort,” said Christiana Figueres, Executive
Secretary of the UNFCCC.
“It underlines the myriad of remarkable transitions
that are already occurring nationally and internationally in areas ranging from
renewable energy to transportation and land use. In doing so it provides
governments and their partners with the blueprints and tool-kits to
cost-effectively catalyze action now and take the Paris agreement to the next
level of long term ambition,” she added.
“The remarkable reality revealed in this report is that
the very policies that deal most effectively with climate change also offer a
ready-made portfolio of actions that can equally assist the Sustainable
Development Goals and achieve everyone’s ultimate aim of a prosperous, stable
and environmentally healthy world for all,” said Ms. Figueres.
Barriers to Greater Ambition
The report pinpoints broadly four areas that are
holding back taking climate action to scale.
Carbon Pricing – putting an adequate price on carbon
will encourage investment in and use of low-carbon technologies and fuels
An estimated 40 national and more than 20 subnational
jurisdictions have or are planning to introduce a price on carbon. The report
urges more to follow suit.
Inefficient Subsidies – close to $550 billion was spent
on direct fossil fuel subsidies in 2013 which in turn works against investments
in low carbon fuels and clean energy
The report notes that the G20 and the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation Forum have all pledged to reduce such subsides with
several developing countries like Angola, Egypt, Indonesia and Morocco ‘taking
advantage of low oil prices to cut fossil fuel subsidies’.
Finance and Capacity-Building – Developing countries
need enhanced support to access technologies and finance up-front costs.
The report notes that additional investment averaging
$1 trillion a year will be needed in the energy sector until 2050 ‘in order to
stay below the 2 degrees C threshold’.
Institutional, Regulatory and Legal Frameworks – the
institutions charged with implementing or overseeing climate action need to be
equipped with appropriate resources and mandates says the report
It calls for governments to ramp up the strategies,
regulations and laws including the engagement of civil society and private
sector actors in order to catalyze further national and non-State actor action.
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