International Climate Policy

Carbon Leakage and Industrial Innovation

SNA — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 12:19:29 +0000

Carbon leakage is defined as an increase of emissions outside the EU because of EU climate policies. As such policies affect the costs of economic activity, especially in energy intensive industries, they might cause companies to move production to countries with laxer greenhouse gas emission policies. Therefore, affected industries receive benefits, such as more free emission allowances in the EU...Read more

Observer NGOs and the International Climate Negotiations

SNA — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 10:45:29 +0000

The first part of this knowledge package, "Role of Countries in Climate Negotiations" (POLIMP, 2015) presented an overview of the multilevel interaction of government stakeholders in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The knowledge package below aims at providing a map of the size, coordination and influence of the non-governmental organisations involved as observers in the UNFCCC negotiations.Read more

Role of Countries in Climate Negotiations

SNA — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 09:51:00 +0000

Since the 1990s, almost all countries in the world negotiate on international climate policies as Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This has resulted in several milestones, but it has also become clear that countries are diverse and have different negotiation interests, which complicates reaching agreements. This knowledge package maps and explains the interaction of the...Read more

The Global Rise of Emissions Trading

SNA — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 11:08:01 +0000

An increasing number of countries and regions around the world are developing and implementing emissions trading as a way of putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions. This knowledge package gives an overview of such systems, compares design features and giving an outlook on future developments.Read more

Climate Change Adaptation: Options and Mechanisms under the UNFCCC

SNA — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 11:16:02 +0000

With a changing climate and the related impacts, social systems need to adapt to altered external conditions. Diverse adaptation options are available for every major sector of the economy. Also the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change pursues different strategies to enhance action on adaptation, both on the national and the global scale. Additionally, the Adaptation Committee plans to...Read more

Community Energy Projects: Europe's Pioneering Task

SNA — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 11:09:29 +0000

Involving citizens in the generation of renewable energy can increase social acceptance and thus enable the low carbon energy transition. The EU is taking a leading role in community-owned energy projects since this has emerged common practice in EU Member States. Denmark and Germany constitute two best practice examples for community energy generation. Denmark focuses on wind power plants, while...Read more

Climate Change Adaptation: Needs, Barriers and Limits

SNA — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 12:57:41 +0000

With the observation of more and more climate change impacts, adaptation provides an essential strategy to reduce negative consequences and to exploit beneficial socioeconomic opportunities of climate change. Adaptation related decision-making, however, is confronted with barriers for public and private actors. Other restricting factors, such as technical limits, can further reduce the desired level of adaptation.Read more

International Ambition on Targets for the Post-2020 Era

SNA — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 10:25:39 +0000

The international community is negotiating a post-2020 framework for global climate action. The UNFCCC meeting concluded with such a framework of increasing emissions reduction commitments beyond 2020. Countries are likely to attach their new post-2020 commitments to the international agreement made at this time. The role of the European Union, USA and China is crucial, given that their emissios comprise...Read more

Do Biofuels Destroy Forests? Link between Deforestation and Biofuel Use

SNA — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 09:51:11 +0000

Sustainable biofuels have the potential to foster rural development and to replace fossil fuels. Although there are concerns about food security, impacts on small-scale farmers, more competition for water, local pollution and increased deforestation, this knowledge package concludes that various difficulties make it impossible to quantify the relationship between biofuel production and deforestation and to map it at the global...Read more

The Costs of Mitigation: An Overview

SNA — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 12:29:51 +0000

There is quite a vast landscape of different definitions used for the word 'cost' related to the concepts of climate change. To enhance appropriate application and interpretation, this knowledge package explains the various terms in the climate change debate. Furthermore, it provides cost estimates for mitigation expressed in consumption losses for 2020 through 2100 and argues that costs would further...Read more

Mitigation: Co-Benefits and Interlinkages to Adaptation

SNA — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 09:49:10 +0000

Climate mitigation is a popular strategy to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Various options are available for both mitigation policy and technology measures, providing enough economic potential to offset the projected emissions growth. It is crucial for policymakers to be aware of possible side effects, such as co-benefits and interlinkages to adaptation, to pursue a cost-effective implementation...Read more

New Market Mechanisms: Status of Discussions under the UNFCCC

SNA — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 07:53:15 +0000

Due to the limitations of existing market mechanism, parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have been prompted to look for new tools to improve cost effectiveness of climate change mitigation. Parties have agreed to consider the implementation of new market mechanisms and non-market based approaches. This knowledge package analyses the elements of new market mechanisms being...Read more

The Diverse and Extensive Global Landscape of Climate Finance Flows

SNA — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:15:24 +0000

The landscape of climate finance is diverse and extensive. Public and private actors in projects for greenhouse gas emission reductions and climate resilience invest more than USD 300 billion per year. Scaled-up investments and leveraging of private finance are needed to stabilise global temperatures. This knowledge package gives an overview of the global climate finance landscape, with its sources, instruments,...Read more

Climate Finance for Reduction of Emissions and Vulnerability

SNA — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 13:38:26 +0000

Climate finance is defined as the financial resources paid to support climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. International climate finance as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change framework refers to the financial flows from developed to developing countries. This knowledge package provides an introduction to climate finance, including definitions and an overview of principles for climate...Read more

History of the UN Climate Negotiations - Part 2 - from 2011 to 2015

melanie.schlund — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 09:37:31 +0000

Several factors led to uncertainty and complexity as well as scepticism on the likelihood of reaching an effective agreement in the post-Copenhagen process, including the shift in the UNFCCC negotiation process from a top-down approach to a more flexible system of country-led individual targets and a growing realisation among developing countries about the need to take an active role in...Read more