From climate commitments to action – Volume, 5 Issue 3 (May/June 2016)

Download GREAT Insights Editorial Dr. San Bilal and Hanne Knaepen - Head and Policy Officer of Economic Transformation and Trade Programme and Food Programme (respectively), ECDPM To coincide with Earth Day, the Paris Agreement, adopted last December at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), opened for signature on 22 April 2016 in New York. The Paris Agreement aims at greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adapting to climate change action, and mobilising climate financing and technology. Global overview Paris Agreement - Gateway to a decarbonised global society Dirk Messner, Director, German Development Institute (DIE) The Paris climate agreement marks a momentous breakthrough and a civilising milestone in the history of the international community. It provides the gateway to a decarbonised global economy and society, sets ambitious goals for climate change mitigation, and yet its success is not a foregone conclusion. Significant efforts will need to be undertaken at local, national and international levels in the next few years and decades for effectively phasing-out a fossil fuel-driven economy. Translating climate cooperation into action Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, Chair of the Group of Least Developed Countries in the UNFCCC process and a Board Member of the Green Climate Fund The Paris Agreement marks an important step forward in our global effort to address climate change, but there remains much work to be done to avert dangerous climate change. Paris Agreement: A pact of solidarity for developing countries? Pradeep S. Mehta, Secretary General and Rashid Kaukab, Director of Programmes and Research, CUTS International While the Paris Agreement addresses various elements - mitigation, adaptation, financing - to tackle climate change, they have not been elaborated on in the manner and to the extent that developing countries wanted and needed. The authors set out some recommendations to ensure the goals of the agreement are reached. EU contributions to take warming below 2°C Artur Runge-Metzger, Director of Climate Strategy, European Commission The international community’s tireless efforts to bring about a universal multilateral climate agreement finally paid off. But now comes the hardest part: putting our promises into action. Thematic focus The Paris Agreement and African agriculture Estherine Fotabong, Director of Programme Implementation and Coordination Directorate, NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency African countries need to focus on enhancing their adaptive capacities and reduce their vulnerability to climate change. Translating that momentum quickly into the agriculture sectors, neglected in the Paris Agreement, should be central to a holistic and comprehensive transformation of African economies. Linking responses to climate change and conflict Janani Vivekananda, Head of Environment, Climate Change and Security Programme, International Alert Explicit recognition of the linkages between climate and security is still missing. Climate change acts as a ‘threat multiplier’, increasing the risk of violent conflict, and inhibiting prospects for peace. Climate finance, if allocated and used in a conflict sensitive way, can be an entry point to tackle deep rooted causes of vulnerability to climate change, disasters and conflict. How the WTO can implement the Paris Agreement Raymond Saner, Professor International Relations and International Management, Sciences Po, Paris and University of Basle, and Director, Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development Greening the World Trade Organization is an imperative to accompany the implementation of the Paris Agreement. EIB climate action - Putting the Paris Agreement to work Nancy Saich, Senior Technical Adviser, Environment, Climate and Social Office, European Investment Bank Direct financial contribution from governments to the climate cause can only be limited. This is when the intervention of public finance institutions such as the European Investment Bank has demonstrated its value, including through cooperation with others, sharing experiences and combining efforts. Making agriculture in Africa climate-smart Hanne Knaepen African policy-makers promote climate-smart agriculture and aim to mainstream it in agricultural policies at continental, regional and national levels. ECDPM explains barriers and discusses the way forward. Regulars Talking Points Blog highlights This publication benefits from structural support by ECDPM’s institutional partners The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark.  Read GREAT Insights volume 5, issue 3: [gview file="http://ecdpm.org/wp-content/uploads/ECDPM_Great_Insights_Vol5_issue3_From_Climate_Commitments_to_action_2016.pdf" save="1"]