Introduction: SD-PAM and the potential of promoting climate action through development policies

Abstract

This viewpoint introduces the broader purpose and conceptual premises of the larger research project that makes up this special issue. It starts off from two emerging strands in the international climate policy debate – i.e. (1) the notion that climate change action may be driven by other development priorities; and (2) the growing skepticism regarding the UN system's capacity to deliver effective climate policies – and raises the broader question as to whether development-driven climate action could be incentivized through an internationally agreed upon mechanism within UNFCCC. The concrete objective of the project is to identify the opportunities and challenges of a future Sustainable Development – Policies and Measures (SD-PAM) mechanism, the latter being a precursor for National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA). To achieve this objective the project holds the following traits. First, it introduces intervention theory as the guiding theoretical framework for all empirical studies. Second, it combines an analysis of the suggested SD-PAM mechanism with selected case studies of potential national SD-PAM projects in Brazil (bio-energy), China (transportation and biogas production) and Mozambique (agriculture). The broader ambition is to identify the circumstances under which development policies may serve as a vehicle for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation.