Low Emission Technologies: Development and transfer of technologies under the UNFCCC Workshop on Environmental Technology Dissemination WTO, Geneva, 12 November 2012 Wanna Tanunchaiwatana, Officer in Charge, Finance, Technology, Capacity Building Programme, UN Climate change Secretariat
The ultimate objective of the UNFCCC...stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
We are facing increasingly compounded global challenges: Population growth Water and food crises Resource scarcity Energy insecurity Environmental depredation Debt and job crises
Agreement timeline Framework Convention (Rio 1992) National caps for OECD countries for 2008-2012 and market-based mechanisms (Kyoto 1997) All Parties to take mitigation action; developing countries with enabling support (Bali 2007) Global goal, 2020 financing goal, national mitigation pledges, Technology Mechanism and Green Climate Fund (Copenhagen 2009 and Cancun 2010) Several arrangements for enhanced action (NAMAs and NAPs) and support (Green Climate Fund, Standing Committee on Finance, Long Term Finance Work Programme and Technology Mechanism and AWG on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action) in Durban 2011
Strategic approaches National targets, action pledges and low-emission development strategies Transparency and accountability: Reporting on emissions and verification of actions Financial and technical support Market-based mechanisms Technology cooperation Adaptation to the impacts of climate change
Bottom line Major transition toward low-emission development needed to enable sustained economic development Climate policy (international, regional or national) needs to aimed at factors affecting investment decisions Climate change is testing the collective ability of the international community to solve a shared problem
Dissemination of climate friendly technologies 1. What is the potential of technology? 2. What are the barriers to the realization of this potential and how can they been overcome? 3. What will a post-2020 climate regime need to deliver on technology?
Kyoto mechanisms help generate and support green growth programmes globally: Investments in operating CDM projects to 2012 in developing countries = 92.2 billion USD 90% of the CDM projects are locally financed, and the host countries could benefit from selling the CERs Estimated foreign investment as a result of CDM projects to date = 21.5 43 billion USD New renewable electricity capacity from CDM projects over the last 10 years = 110.000 MW Today more than 4900 CDM projects registered and about 1000 more to come.
The Technology Mechanism The Technology Mechanism was established to facilitate the implementation of enhanced action on technology development and transfer to support action on mitigation and adaptation in order to achieve the full implementation of the Convention. The Technology Executive Committee together with the Climate Technology Centre and Network, consistent with their respective functions, is mandated to facilitate the effective implementation of the Technology Mechanism, under the guidance of the COP.
A collective commitment on Finance Copenhagen 2009 - developed countries pledged to provide new and additional resources, approaching USD 30 billion for the period 2010-2012 with balanced allocation between mitigation and adaptation. Cancun 2010 - Funding for adaptation prioritized for the most vulnerable developing countries and developed country Parties invited to submit by May 2011, 2012 and 2013 information on the resources provided Durban 2011 - Developed Parties urged to continue to enhance the transparency of their reporting on the fulfillment of their fast-start finance commitments.
The Bali Action Plan (2007): enhanced action on the provision of financial resources and investment for climate change
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) - was designated as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC, in accordance with Article 11 of the Convention, to function under the guidance of the COP. The purpose of the GCF: to provide support to developing countries to reduce their GHG emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to channel new, additional, adequate and predictable financial resources to developing countries, to catalyze climate finance, both public and private, and at the international and national levels, to pursue a country-driven approach, promote and strengthen engagement at the country level through effective involvement of relevant institutions and stakeholders.
General lessons learned Valuable lessons to the discussions of long-term finance in terms of e.g.scaling-up and mobilization of funds; Need further clarity on definitions (e.g. new and additional, difference between ODA and climate finance, climate finance component within a project, accounting mechanisms, burden sharing, etc.); Private sector involvement is key but needs to be further clarified; Predictability of climate finance is fundamental; Need to integrate Bottom-up with Top-down approaches: Activities should be country driven, and clearly addressing developing countries needs.