The international policy context for mitigation actions

Abstract

In order to provide a framework for the country case studies that follow, this review article outlines how the concept of nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) arose in the context of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. The paper outlines how the NAMA concept is being developed internationally in order to juxtapose this with the country level, “bottom-up” understandings evident in the mitigation action country studies that follow. This article undertakes a review of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties decisions from Bali in 2007 to Doha in 2012 to trace the historical emergence of NAMAs, before analysing the increasing institutionalization of NAMAs using both primary and secondary sources. The review suggests that the still-nascent nature of NAMAs may provide a vehicle for developing countries to participate in the international mitigation effort – with the technical and financial support of developed countries, subject to the Convention's principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR). The fact that there remains some lack of clarity on what constitutes a NAMA may represent an opportunity for developing countries to shape it to their benefit by providing thought-leadership and taking domestic action suitable to their developmental needs.