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The Climate Symphony

June 12, 2017 por Pamela Ferro - Marcela Jaramillo Leave a Comment


COPYRIGHT © by greens_climate (CC BY 2.0) – FLICKR

 

The changing rhythm of development

With the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) now set in place, it is clear that we now dance under a new development rhythm where we can no longer talk about development without considering climate change.

Climate-related impacts or events have become everyday news, think about the huge landslides in Colombia or the devastating floods in Peru that took place earlier this year, and which combined have cost the lives of 350 people and affected many others; or even the recent flooding of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault  inVault in the Arctic Circle, a unit expected to provide failsafe protection against all disasters but is now being affected by the unusual high temperatures in the Arctic.  We now know that climate change is already costing the global economy $5.3TN a year in addition to invaluable social costs, that is the equivalent to the total GDP of LATAM in 2015.

Climate-proof development is not just a “trendy topic” but an essential matter to secure prosperity and a true means to achieve the SDGs.  In fact, the US National Department of Defense has described climate change as the “ultimate threat multiplier”.  Climate change events, which have become more frequent and more destructive, translate into a loss of economic growth and human development.  This is true not only for developing countries but also for developed economies and it affects everyone beyond social status.

 NDCs as the Music Sheet for Development

 To face current climate challenges and harness the opportunities that a cleaner and resilient development offers, countries have identified a set of actions to help them reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and improve their capacity to manage harmful climate impacts. These actions were presented in what are known as “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) in the run-up to the Conference of the Parties in 2015, COP 21 which took place in Paris.  NDCs are the guiding tool for countries to achieve the three objectives set under the Paris Agreement:

  1. limiting the temperature increase to well below 2ºC and pursuing efforts to stay under 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels,
  2. increasing capacities for adaptation and resilience to climate change and
  3. aligning finance flows with low GHG and climate resilient development.

Under the Paris Agreement Parties are to present new NDCs every five years.  Each new NDC will have to be better than the last one presented, reflecting the highest possible ambition. This constant improvement of commitment is the cornerstone of the Paris Agreement.

To date, 32 out of the 33 countries in LAC have submitted their national commitments. Across the different commitments presented by countries, the most commonly prioritized actions for climate mitigation are within the sectors of energy, forestry and agriculture. For adaptation purposes, the key priorities across the region are in food security, water resource management and biodiversity.

As guiding tools, NDCs can be seen as the “music sheet” for orchestrating the new climate-proof and sustainable development.  NDCs are to facilitate countries the integration of climate change actions into their national priorities, as opposed to overburden their ongoing efforts. 

 Implementing NDCs entails the active involvement and coherent participation of diverse actors.

Let us think of NDCs implementation as an orchestra where all the musicians play an important role even when their participation may seem small. In the context of NDCs key musicians include the government (at all levels and sectors), private sector, academia and civil society.  For the orchestra to work, all the instruments must be played in harmony with the guidance of the music sheet, comprised of specific notes, melody and cadence.  Likewise, NDCs contain specific actions, priority sectors and timeframes to coordinate national efforts towards climate-proof and sustainable development.

As expected, implementing NDCs raises diverse challenges: countries are juggling to set in place capacity in a range of technical, policy and financial skills; developing a portfolio with quality projects; achieving effective leverage of public and private finance and building a full cross-sectorial engagement.

In this context, the IDB Group has developed NDC Invest, a collective effort – both technical and financial- to assist countries in the region in the alignment of their national portfolios to meet their international commitments.   NDC Invest acts as an IDB “one-stop shop” that matches country requests with the best possible expertise and resources of the IDB Group.

We know that the transition to a climate-proof and sustainable development entails difficult challenges, but we also know that effective planning and implementation will enable stronger and healthier economies, livable cities, protection of our biodiversity, and ultimately improve lives for all. So, let’s all joint the new climate symphony.


Filed Under: Climate change

Pamela Ferro

Pamela is a lawyer, environmental policy analyst and climate finance specialist. She is currently focused on designing projects that allow the mobilization of financial resources for the implementation of the Paris Agreement in LAC countries. Her work also includes developing long-term strategies to drive a sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient development. Pamela has extensive experience within the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Before joining the IDB, she worked as Director of Forest Policy at GLOBE International, a network of legislators from more than 50 countries that seeks to address environmental challenges and promote legislation on deforestation, climate change and sustainable development. Her work focused on articulating the executive and legislative powers in various countries in environmental matters and reinforcing the role of legislators in examining environmental policies and international commitments of governments. Previously, Pamela worked at the British NGO ClientEarth, as part of the Latin American Climate and Forest Program where she supported national processes for the development of REDD + safeguards. Before moving to the United Kingdom in 2013, Pamela was an associate lawyer in the Natural Resources and Environment area of ​​the law firm Estudio Grau/CMS in Lima where she advised clients on the use and exploitation of natural resources and environmental certification.

Marcela Jaramillo

Marcela Jaramillo Gil is a specialist in climate policy and finance. Previously, she worked as a consultant at the IDB's Climate Change Division, focused on the consolidation of the IDB's support for the implementation of the Paris Agreement through NDC INVEST, the design of Long-Term Decarbonization Strategies and approaches to align public finances to climate goals. Marcela is co-chair of the LEDS-LAC Regional Platform, and previously was a senior advisor for finance and climate diplomacy at the British think tank E3G. In the past, Marcela worked in the energy sector leading research, design, and implementation of renewable energy systems. Marcela has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Colombia and a Master's Degree in Sustainable Energy Technologies from the University of Southampton.

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Sustainability

This blog is a space to reflect about the challenges, opportunities and the progress made by Latin American and Caribbean countries on the path towards the region’s sustainable development.

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