The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
Some work has been done on regulatory policies (such as energy-efficiency standards, including under the Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] and with an aim to reforming the CDM beyond a project-level scope) both from the methodological side and through blueprinting of operational models. Similar approaches were developed for policies such as …
This 2016 Mid-Year Report, launched at the beginning of the climate change conference in Bonn (SB sessions), is the first update report in the NAMA Status Report series after the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP21. It takes a closer look at NAMAs in light of the Paris Agreement …
China’s introduction of a national ETS, scheduled for 2017, is an important development in the expanding carbon market landscape. As countries move towards implementation of the recently-adopted Paris Agreement, this sends a powerful signal about China’s mitigation commitment and support for carbon markets. As the largest emitter of greenhouse gases …
How to assess the impact of transport based mitigation efforts? Where to find good measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) practices and what requirements must be met in terms of data collection? The recently published Reference Document on MRV in the transport sector informs on how to develop comprehensive and consistent …
The Paris Agreement that was reached on 12 December 2015 delivered a universal accord on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a level that would keep the planet well below 2 degrees Celsius warming. Following that agreement, implementation is key and countries now have the task to accelerate the pace …
The purpose of this Agreement is to further implement the objective of the Convention as set out in its Article 2 through enhanced action, cooperation and support, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, so as to: Hold the increase in the global average temperature to …
A new paper discusses the current and potential interaction between nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) and intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs). With a view on the climate summit starting in Paris today, it highlights the importance of NAMAs as a tool to help countries progress toward and beyond their 2020 …
Beyond the emissions pledges made by different countries, a cornerstone for ensuring the effectiveness of the 2015 international climate change agreement will be the mechanisms in place to hold states to account for how they live up to their commitments. While legal form has been viewed as an important indicator …
The case for climate action has never been stronger. Current weather extremes, including storms, floods and drought, affect millions of people across the world. Climate change is putting water security at risk; threatening agricultural and other supply chains as well as many coastal cities. The likelihood of severe pervasive and …
This action plan has been developed to fulfill the requirements of the UNFCCC through development and implementation of a robust and transparent national forest monitoring system. The purpose of the NFMS is to identify and develop processes that supports strategic decision making by systematic and repeated measurement and observation of …
The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a handbook outlining the key concepts, elements and requirements of the international climate change measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) framework. The handbook is intended to help developing countries efficiently and effectively implement the MRV framework. Under the UNFCCC, all parties are expected to communicate actions …
The Communication sets out the EU's vision for a transparent and dynamic, legally binding United Nations climate change agreement that sets the world on a pathway to prevent global warming from reaching dangerous levels. International negotiations are under way and are set to be finalised at the UN climate conference …
This report covers case studies with three companies: Royal Dutch Shell, Rio Tinto, and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E;), capturing their experiences and lessons learn preparing for and operating under policies that price carbon emissions. It is relevant for private companies and countries interested in seeing how companies are putting …
This Technical Note provides a summary of the key elements and design features of 11 different carbon offset programs. It discusses the essential differences and similarities between programs, and discusses how these programs address key issues, such as: efficiency, environmental integrity, applicability, and transaction costs. It does not evaluate the …
The Reference Document is divided into 9 chapters starting with an introduction and overview of the subject, moving on gradually and logically to required policy framework to support REDD+ implementation as part of the forest management in the country. The document describes in detail the issues and concepts related to …
This study seeks to understand how best to connect local and international institutions based on lessons learnt from existing initiatives in the forest sector that aim to achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions (often referred to as ‘forest-carbon’ initiatives) in order to inform the current debates and actions on REDD+ (Reducing …
Today, the transport sector accounts for almost a quarter of energy-based, polluting CO2 emissions, a share that is expected to grow. If no countermeasures are taken, CO2 emissions from the transport sector are projected to rise by about 70% between 2010 and 2050. NAMAs offer a unique opportunity for developing …
This paper explores the possible role of the 2015 agreement in promoting further mobilisation of climate finance for developing countries in the post-2020 period. Any finance related provisions in the new agreement therefore need to facilitate such a mobilisation, and also need to be dynamic enough to reflect the evolving …
This handbook provides local policy makers and other interested readers with an overview of climate and carbon finance mechanisms, both existing and in development, and their relevance to the urban context. It has been prepared in response to a recognised need for a user-friendly guide to such mechanisms, their potential …
Climate change adaptation has become a policy priority in most developing countries, despite limited resourcing. With climate finance soon becoming available, countries need to demonstrate that they can absorb, track and assess adaptation investments through effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E;) systems. Climate change adaptation M&E; is relatively new and the …
