Mitigating Climate Change

Mitigating Climate Change TACC Training Module 5 1

Objectives of the Module • Discuss importance of mitigation as an essential component of addressing global climate change • Introduce and share examples for selecting effective mitigation options • Introduce international programmes to support mitigation Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Overview • Section 1: Introduction to Mitigation • Section 2: Policy Approaches and Strategies to Foster Mitigation • Section 3: Sectors with Mitigation Potential • Section 4: International Support for Climate Change Mitigation Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

What is Climate Change Mitigation? • Mitigation is any actions that cuts net emissions of greenhouse gases by: • reducing sources of greenhouse gases • Increasing sinks of greenhouse gases • Includes but is not limited to technological, political, structural or financial action Source: Wordpress Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigating Greenhouse Gases: A Shared Global Responsibility • IPCC projects that global emissions need to be reduced by at least 50% by 2050 to limit temperature increase to 2ºC • Developed countries will need to undertake majority of emission reduction • Without emission reduction and mitigation in developing countries not possible to meet this goal Source: Fotolia Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

GHG Emissions by Country and Per Capita Annual CO2emissions (in thousands of metric tons) CO2 Emissions Per Capita (metric tons) Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

GHG Emissions by Groupings of Countries Source: IEA Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation: Opportunities for Developing Countries • Access to financing to promote green growth • Receive advanced technology from developed countries (technology transfer) • Develop capacity to introduce and maintain new technologies • Accelerate the path to a green economy and sustainable development Source: UNITAR Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Relevance of Mitigation for Sub-national Authorities • Planning decisions with mitigation potential often taken at the sub-national level, for example • Public transport • Local energy supply • Energy efficient buildings and construction • Waste disposal sites • Etc. • Sub-national level can become front-runners in promoting a green economy • Significant potential to reap co-benefits Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Co-Benefits Resulting from Mitigation • Cost savings through improved energy efficiency • Reduction in local air pollution resulting in improved health • Enhanced diversity of energy mix and energy supply security • Improved local employment, e.g. through decentralized energy production • Improved local industrial development Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Embedding Low Carbon Growth within a Green Economy • Greening the economy refers to the process of reconfiguring businesses and infrastructure to deliver better returns on natural, human and economic capital investments • Greening the economy results in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, extracting and using less natural resources, creating less waste and reducing social disparities • Necessitates reshaping and refocusing policies, investments and spending towards: • Clean technologies • Renewable energies • Water services • Green transportation • Waste management • Green buildings and • Sustainable agriculture and forests • May include sector-specific fiscal stimulus package Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Integrating Mitigation into Sub-national and Local Planning • Important to mainstream mitigation into sub-national and local development planning • Relevant for all aspects of planning: structure, policies, systems and procedures • Local measures and actions should complement and enhance national actions • Cross sectoral co-ordination valuable to prevent incoherency across sectors Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Policy Instruments to Promote Mitigation and Clean Technology • Regulations and standards • Taxes and charges • Tradable permits for carbon emissions • Financial incentives • Voluntary agreements • Information instruments for the population • Funding research in the area Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Questions to Assess Mitigation Options and New Technology • What are the investment costs of introducing the option, both direct and indirect? • What are the major obstacles to the investment? • Is the option consistent with other policy goals (e.g. health goals) • What capacities need to be in place to introduce the option? (e.g. institutional capacity, man-power, trainings etc.) • Will the option perform well and in a sustainable manner? Is sufficient information available to make an informed choice? Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Criteria for Selecting Mitigation Options • Environmental effectiveness • Cost effectiveness • Distributional effects (including equity) • Institutional feasibility Source: Wordpress Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Reaping the Potential of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) • CDM is a market mechanism under the Kyoto protocol to encourage mitigation • Allows countries with emission-reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries • Funding is provided by the Annex I country • Projects must provide emission reductions that wouldn’t normally occur • Approved CDM project can earn saleable certified emission reduction (CER) credits “The CDM enables sustainable development projects in developing countries that reduce emissions or enhance sinks through afforestation or reforestation.” – UNFCCC Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Measuring and Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions • Measuring GHGs becomes increasingly important • UNFCCC Annex I Parties submit information on their national emissions inventories annually • Non-Annex I Parties encouraged to submit communications including emissions inventories. • Least developed countries are encouraged to submit a National Communication at their discretion • Development of GHG inventories at various levels becomes increasingly important • Specifically important for developing countries when participating in CDM, REDD etc Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Sectors with Mitigation Potential • Energy • Industry • Waste • Transport • Buildings • Agriculture • Forestry Source: The Guardian Source: UNITAR Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Energy • Energy Production • Enhance efficiency of existing power plants (e.g. replace old parts or whole plant) • Carbon capture and sequestration at the point of production • Switching of fuels (e.g. from coal to gas) • Foster biofuels and renewables • Enhance cogeneration • Energy transportation and transmission • Improved power grids • Reduce leakages from pipelines • Better transportation planning • etc • Energy use • Better housing insulation • Solar water heating in homes • Feed in tariffs for micro generation • Regulation for minimum standards in energy efficiency • etc Source: US Geological Survey Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Industry • Efficiency measures • More efficient use of energy • Better use of materials and recycling • Improved process efficiency, particularly in steel and concrete industries • Alternative methods of making concrete • Using renewable energies • Changes to: • Products, locally sourced • Better designed products and processes to reduce waste Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Waste • Recuperation of methane from landfills to generate electricity • Use of combined heat and power incinerators rather than use of landfills • Establish waste levy on all waste going to municipal landfills • Promote the use of less packaging, products and processes that create waste • Increase urban solid waste recycling • Reducing emissions from sewage treatment and anaerobic digestion of waste water Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Transport • Efficiency technologies • More aerodynamic cars • Hybrid motor engines • Reduced friction technologies • Kinetic energy recovery breaking • Alternative fuels • Biofuels • Electricity • Hydrogen (fuel cells) • Consumer behavior • Buying smaller cars • Driving more efficiently • Increase share of rail and water transport • Infrastructure/policy changes • More accessible/affordable urban public transport • More bicycle lanes • Fuel taxes • Traffic/congestion charges Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Buildings • More energy efficient construction • Change in building material (less embedded energy) • Recycle building material • Energy efficient design (natural cooling, heating, lighting) • Reducing energy consumption in the building • More efficient lighting (eco-bulbs) • Insulation/heating for walls and ceiling • Cooking (more efficient ovens, stoves) Source: wikimedia Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Buildings • Switching to low carbon fuels for heating • Controlling emissions of non-CO2 GHG gasses • Air-conditioning • Refrigerators • Occupant behavior • Awareness raising of behaviors • Policies to encourage low-energy behaviors • Subsidies and feed in tariffs for micro-generation Source: EnglishRussia.com Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Urban Planning • Planning to develop compact/low carbon cities that need • shorter trips • less energy for pumping water and waste water • reduced infrastructure needs • Consideration of mixed neighbourhoods Source: European Commission Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Agriculture • Restoration of cultivated organic soils (enhancing soil carbon sequestration) • Improve agriculture infrastructure • Better access to fuels • Equipment • Waste areas • Improved cropland management (e.g. crop rotation, use of perennials, reducing slash and burn agriculture) Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Agriculture cont… • Improved grazing land management • Restoration of degraded lands (no toil policies, use of bio-char) • Improved livestock management (substituting forage with oil-rich feeds, • Waste management and methane recovery from waste) • Agro-forestry practices and afforestation of abandoned areas/fallow land Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigation Options: Forestry • Maintaining or increasing forest area • Increase plantations • Eliminate illegal logging • Maintaining or increasing site carbon density • Promote voluntary certification schemes for sustainable forest management • Increasing off site carbon stocks in wood products and enhancing product and fuel substitution • Monitoring vulnerable forest areas (avoiding forest fires and pest attacks) Source: Scientific American Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Nairobi Framework to Catalyze CDM Projects in Developing Countries • The Nairobi Framework aims to help developing countries to improve their level of participation in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) • The framework seeks to enable countries to identify, develop, submit and process CDM projects that will eventually lead to a considerable increase in CDM penetration • Main focus of the framework • Build capacity in developing CDM project activities • Build and enhance capacity of CDM Designated National Authorities • Promote investment opportunities for projects • Improve information sharing, outreach, education, and training • Foster Inter-agency coordination Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Nairobi Framework Bazaar • Established in 2007 to enhance access to information about CDM project opportunities • Web-based facility • Provides a market where people meet and information is exchanged (free, internet based) • Creates space for project developers what their ideas and proposals are • Promote services of experts, brokers, information platforms, other market platforms • Expression of interest by buyers and investors • Brokering of CDM initiatives • www.cdmbazaar.net Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

UN REDD Programme: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation • Seeks to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests • …in 46 partner countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, in two ways: • Direct support to the design and implementation of UN-REDD National Programmes • Complementary support through common approaches, analyses, methodologies, tools, data and best practices • By July 2012, total funding for these two streams of support to countries was US$117.6 million • REDD+ projects can include: • Preventing deforestation and forest degradation • Conservation of forests • Sustainable management of forests • Enhancement of forest carbon stocks Territorial Approach to Climate Change - Phase 1

Mitigating Climate Change