Climate Compatible Development Research Articles

Multilevel governance for climate compatible development: A case study of mangrove governance in Indonesia

Multilevel governance for climate compatible development: A case study of mangrove governance in Indonesia

Mainstreaming systematic climate action in energy infrastructure to support the sustainable development goals

The energy sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 37% of the world’s combined emissions, and plays a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, there is no systematic means for planners and practitioners to integrate climate considerations throughout the lifecycle of energy infrastructure projects. Using a thematic document analysis, we provide a comprehensive list of activities related to climate mitigation and adaptation which can be systematically mainstreamed into the energy sector project lifecycle to support a range of sustainable development outcomes. Two renewable energy projects were used to integrate the results into a practical context and demonstrate the range of potential SDG target synergies. The case studies demonstrate the varied means by which climate action can be integrated through mainstreaming in project lifecycle stages, holistically achieving wider SDG impacts. This work provides a practical means to maximise progress within the framework of climate-compatible development.

Creating Synergies among the Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Action: Insights from a Developing Economy

Creating synergies and aligning the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement offers great opportunity for global climate action that is based on inclusive development and just energy transformation. However, this process is not straight forward and faces several interlinked issues and challenges, including varying national priorities. Research and insights into these issues are lacking in the case of developing countries. This study aims to identify key benefits and opportunities, barriers, and challenges on creating synergies and jointly implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and the Nationally Determined Contributions in the case of India. This is achieved by conducting a structured expert interview with multi-stakeholders in the Delhi National Capital Region of India. The findings of this study intend to benefit and inform national and local governments, individuals, institutions, and organisations across the world on key implementation challenges of the synergies process in the case of a major developing economy and provides important lessons and policy recommendations that may also strengthen and support global efforts towards climate-compatible development and decision making.

Modeling principles, criteria and indicators to assess water sector governance for climate compatibility and sustainability

The United Nations SDGs Report 2020 revealed that climatic variability victimized masses across the globe in 2018 and the global average temperature would rise to 3.2°C during this century. The GHG emission reduction targets for 2030 were prioritized under the Paris Climate Agreement (PCA) of 2015 to keep the rise in global temperature below 1.5°C. Here, parallel action for climate adaptation is on top of it. However, targets for both adaptation and mitigation are lagging. Climatic variations will continue more likely with similar trends thus influencing the development needs vis-à-vis environmental security and sustainability of resources. It entails climate compatibility, particularly for the water security agenda for SDG-13 and Paris Climate Agreement (PCA), which requires an inclusive governance regime and ownership for national and sub-national scenarios. In this context, this paper aimed to assess existing water sector governance for climate compatible development (CCD) by taking the case of Pakistan which is among the top 10 countries vulnerable to climate change. Considering the limitations of available methodologies due to the involvement of various aspects and concepts of governance, an integrated multivariate mix-method model was formulated by combining rules and rights-oriented approaches. This MCDA-based model integrates six novel climate governance principles against six basic components of the basic institutional governance framework; Simple Multi-attribute Rating Technique (SMART) with a set of sectoral indicators of 09 criteria of climate compatible development (CCD). It proved well for this water sector case study with cross-sectional data from 340 key informant interviews (KIIs) and 17 focus group discussions (FGDs) in Pakistan, validated statistically. It can be used for periodic sectoral governance assessments for CCD.

Modeling energy governance index for the adequacy of policy, legal, and institutional response measures for climate compatible development

Climate compatible and sustainable expansion of energy resources is a major global challenge. Developing countries, with inadequate resources and incoherent policies, and legal and institutional frameworks must strive hard to achieve targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while keeping track of Nationally Determined Contributions for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions abatement. Inclusive governance is quite complex due to the interplay of informal and formal systems, rules-based to rights-based approaches, and arrangements in national to local scenarios vis-à-vis methodological limitations. In this context, this study aims at developing a governance index for assessing climate compatible development (CCD) by taking case of the energy sector in Pakistan. The study adopted a two-step approach to develop and validate a methodological framework for assessing the adequacy of governance. In the first step, a multivariate analysis model was developed using principle (CP-1), criteria (09), and 43 indicators (PCIs) through stakeholder involvement. In the second step, the model was deployed by combining the Multi Criteria Decision Analysis method with statistical analysis of the dataset. Data were collected from federal and provincial capitals as well as ten districts through a structured scoring matrix consisting of all 43 indicators. The sample population was based on key informant interviews (340), and experts (17) who were engaged through focus group discussion at federal, provincial, and district levels. Respondents were asked to score against each indicator on a ratio scale, which was then aggregated to develop a governance index score. The findings reveal the dearth of a preemptive and comprehensive governance to address climate compatible development in the energy sector in all tiers of constituencies in Pakistan. There is a need for coherent and inclusive policy, and a legal and institutional framework. This study’s outcome authenticates the findings of United Nations SDGs Report 2020 that efforts to achieve sustainable energy targets are not up to scale and stresses the need to speed up the efforts and development of the associated governance framework for renewable energy to achieve climate compatible and SDGs.

Coastal and mangrove economic valuation associated fisheries and problems in Kwale County, Kenya

Abstract. Ahmed HA, Mwaura F, Thenya T, Kairo JG. 2022. Coastal and mangrove economic valuation associated fisheries and problems in Kwale County, Kenya. Indo Pac J Ocean Life 6: 17-27. The coastal fisheries in Kenya are essential to the livelihoods of the coastal communities. They provide employment, income, and food and support other auxiliary industries. Despite the socio-economic importance of coastal fisheries, various anthropogenic and climate change impact threatened their existence. Fish habitats, including mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrasses, are threatened by human activities such as aquaculture, mangrove extraction, unplanned expansion of coastal cities, and marine pollution. Usually, coastal fisheries are also neglected in key policy-making agendas. That is attributed to inadequate information and a lack of data on the socio-economic contribution of coastal communities engaged in fisheries. This study aimed to estimate the economic value to provide crucial information for policy making of mangrove ecosystem-based coastal fisheries in Kwale County. The study also attempted to establish the coastal fishery production trend for the past decade, to estimate the economic value of mangrove ecosystems to fishery production, and the future of coastal fisheries projecting based on Climate Compatible Development (CCD) and Business As Usual (BAU) scenarios. Combining the primary data from interviews with 242 respondents with secondary data, including a decade of fish catch data, were analyzed, which exhibited a continuous increase from 1,908 tonnes in 2004 to 2,450 tonnes in 2013 coastal fisheries production. The coastal fisheries value was estimated to be Ksh.182 million (US$ 2.2) annually after deducting all fishing-related costs in 2013. This study also estimated that mangrove ecosystems could support the production of 160kg/ha/year, comprable to Ksh.11,610/ha/year (US$ 198/ha/year). Moreover, the estimated values could be much higher than the calculated ones because a considerable amount of fish caught is unrecorded. The future projections reveal that the scenario of Business As Usual (BAU) is not sustainable. Hence, the study demands a shift to the scenario of Climate Compatible Development (CCD), which incorporates mitigation measures, climate change adaptation, and investment in infrastructure. The study recommends reviewing the existing fishery policies regarding the unique characteristics of coastal fisheries to ensure sustainable exploitation and address the challenges. The research also recommends further economic studies on the coastal fisheries value chain.

Mix-method modelling of actors' capacity for environmental sustainability and climate compatible development in energy sector.

The development of the energy sector has played a major role in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollution. The situation thus necessitates rigorous actions for climate compatible development (CCD). The energy sector is context-dependent, due to which response strategies for CCD are quite challenging particularly in the context of energy crises and the actors' capacity issue in developing countries. This study was aimed at exploring the role of government actors involved in governing the energy sector, with the objective to assess their capacity using a set of principles, criteria, and indicators (PCIs). The study attempted to answer the question: is the capacity of the line departments involved in energy governance adequate to achieve the targets set under SDG-7 and SDG-13? For this purpose, the study employed a combination of "Rules-based" and "Rights-based" governance approaches at all tiers of governance, i.e., federal, provincial, and district levels. Actors' capacity was assessed by developing a governance index based on the scoring of PCIs. Three hundred forty key informant interviews (KIIs) and 17 focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted at federal, provincial, and district levels where respondents were asked to score each of the indicators. Responses were then statistically analyzed and validated. The findings revealed that departments at the federal level are playing an effective role and are adequately equipped to align SDG-7 and SDG-13 with energy sector development. However, departments at the provincial and district levels are still lagging behind to achieve the desired objectives, which demonstrate the need to enhance the capacities of provincial and district line departments.

How climate policies can translate to tangible change: Evidence from eleven low- and lower-middle income countries

Formally adopting climate change mitigation policies does not necessarily translate to tangible change on the ground. Here, we analyse 31 semi-structured interviews with climate policy government officials and consultants from 11 low-income and lower-middle income countries (LMICs) as well as the respective climate policy context, and find high average degrees of perceived discrepancies between formally adopted climate change mitigation policies and their actual implementation. Our results suggest that for our LMIC sample, both the global political process to limit climate change and domestic environmental threats have been key to drive the formal adoption of climate change mitigation policies, but have had limited effect on implementation. By contrast, momentum for implementation of climate change mitigation initiatives and projects on the ground emerges where climate policies are firmly embedded within economic and social development policies, the economy and society are comparably well-positioned to embrace the associated change, and where they have been governed by cross-ministerial institutions capable of implementing wider climate-compatible development pathways. Thus, to help translate climate policy into action, national LMIC governments and the international community need to find context-specific ways to successfully integrate climate with economic and social development policies, identify and build on feasible opportunities and competitive advantages through which the local economy can benefit from green growth, build adequate social capital, and actively create institutional spaces and processes for well-equipped and meaningful cross-ministerial co-benefit governance. The importance of unlocking co-benefits for implementing climate policies underlines both the urgency with which the international community needs to increase finance for LMICs for climate change mitigation, as well as the associated development opportunities.

Effective Mainstreaming of Agricultural Emissions into Climate Action Agenda: The Case of Institutions and Smallholder Dairy Production Systems, Western Kenya

Small-scale farming production systems are integral drivers of global sustainability challenges and the climate crisis as well as a solution space for the transition to climate compatible development. However, mainstreaming agricultural emissions into a climate action agenda through integrative approaches, such as Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), largely reinforces adaptation–mitigation dualism and pays inadequate attention to institutions’ linkage on the generation of externalities, such as Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This may undermine the effectiveness of local–global climate risk management initiatives. Literature data and a survey of small-scale farmers’ dairy feeding strategies were used in the simulation of GHG emissions. The effect of price risks on ecoefficiencies or the amount of GHG emissions per unit of produced milk is framed as a proxy for institutional feedbacks on GHG emissions and effect at scale. This case study on small-scale dairy farmers in western Kenya illustrates the effect of local-level and sectoral-level institutional constraints, such as market risks on decision making, on GHG emissions and the effectiveness of climate action. The findings suggest that price risks are significant in incentivising the adoption of CSA technologies. Since institutional interactions influence the choice of individual farmer management actions in adaptation planning, they significantly contribute to GHG spillover at scale. This can be visualised in terms of the nexus between low or non-existent dairy feeding strategies, low herd productivity, and net higher methane emissions per unit of produced milk in a dairy value chain. The use of the Sustainable Food Value Chain (SFVC) analytical lens could mediate the identification of binding constraints, foster organisational and policy coherence, as well as broker the effective mainstreaming of agricultural emissions into local–global climate change risk management initiatives. Market risks thus provide a systematic and holistic lens for assessing alternative carbon transitions, climate financing, adaptation–mitigation dualism, and the related risk of maladaptation, all of which are integral in the planning and implementation of effective climate action initiatives.

English

Climate Compatible Development (CCD) is an emerging development approach which seeks to minimize the threat posed by climate change while maximize the opportunities for development. In view of the adverse impact of climate change on the general development of the country, Ethiopia, a number of polices which constitute climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies have been adopted and established. Among such polices, Ethiopian water resources and disaster risk management policy is expected to have direct and indirect role in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation. Rainwater harvesting, water shed management, use of water efficiently, small scale irrigation and water resource protection, strengthening drought and flood early warning system are adaptation strategies for water resource policy, and water harvesting and improved energy efficiency are low carbon footprint strategies/mitigation strategies. Disaster risk management policy also comprises climate change and variability related disaster risk reduction strategies; enhancing early warning information system, and safety net program as the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, which are the major component of CCD. These policies also have its own limitation in relation to the system base and institutional gap in implementing CCD. In fact, these barriers can be eased by updating and/or adjustment of the policies under the framework of climate compatible development; mainstreaming climate change issues into water resource and disaster risk management policy; strengthening sector-wise linkage and synergy to avoid overlap; as well as monitoring the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies among sectors. Key words: Climate change, low-carbon footprint, adaptation, mainstreaming, Ethiopia

Climate compatible development in practice

ABSTRACT Climate compatible development (CCD) is a deliberate policy framework that reduces climate-related harm while increasing development opportunities when its three components – adaptation, mitigation, and development – are pursued jointly. In this viewpoint article, we use three island case studies – urban infrastructure improvements in the Solomon Islands, clean energy transitions in Hawaii, and sustainable tourism in the Seychelles – to argue that, in practice, CCD is not always deliberate and that a focus on one component can have unintended but positive outcomes for the others. These case studies illustrate the potential for “triple wins”, including lower emissions, increased resilience, and accelerated development.

Pathways for climate resilient development: Human well-being within a safe and just space in the 21st century

The concept of climate resilient development pathways (CRDPs) introduced in IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report remains poorly conceptualised. We have attempted to deepen the conceptualisation of climate resilient development (CRD) or climate compatible development, while charting its pathways through fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs)-based simulations aided by knowledge based on stakeholders’ insights. We conceptualise CRD as a development embracing mitigation, adaptation and inclusive sustainable development to advance planetary health and well-being for all. The FCMs-based simulations demonstrate that appropriate enabling conditions are critical to the achievement of CRD, the most important of them being (i) the ethics, values, and worldviews shaping CRD’s directions by framing appropriate climate narratives and action; (ii) partnerships and commitment to finance and technology by the governments; (iii) interactions between the actors and arenas ofengagement facilitating CRD decisions and actions; and (iv) dimensions of governance at multiple levels involving policy, institutions and practice. Citizens’ defence against climate change as a human right, along with planetary health and well-being, demands synergies while implementing mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development. Short-term decisions and actions related to mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development could have long-term effects on CRDPs. CRD could entail a societal transformation to eudaimonic living for ensuring universal well-being. The findings of this research could have profound implications for multilateral negotiations.

Evidence of adaptation, mitigation, and development co-benefits of solar mini-grids in rural Ghana

The deployment of renewable energy can potentially offer co-benefits for rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa. However, empirical studies identifying the linkages between adaptation, mitigation, and development co-benefits of renewable energy in the region are scarce in the academic literature. This article provides evidence of adaptation, mitigation, and development co-benefits of solar mini-grids to rural Ghanaian islands. Drawing on climate compatible development framework, the study applied surveys to identify solar mini-grids' benefits. The results show that solar minigrids have delivered co-benefits to the rural islanders. The co-benefits include mediated impacts of heatwaves through use of fans, reduced harmful gases from excessive burning of wood, and reduced social vices at night. We conclude that a full recognition of broad array of co-benefits of solar mini-grids can stimulate interests in their deployment and accelerate the transition to clean energy in the region. We thus argue for continuous research in the region to identify the full range of solar mini-grid co-benefits, which may provide a new landscape for addressing climate change and development concurrently in sub-Saharan Africa.

Contribution of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) in Climate Resilient Approach and SDG 7

Renewable energy can contribute to adaptation to climate change, mitigation and development and may play an important role in resilient development ambition of Nepal. It has been emphasized in Nepal's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and climate change policy but its potential impact on SDGs era has not been fully explored and implemented. The study used employed energy system modelling by using optimization software, reviewed literature and interacted with various experts.
 It has been found that renewable energy technologies (RETs) provide socio-economic and environmental benefits to people that contribute to adopting and ensuring a better adaptation to climate change based on the local context. They contribute to adaptation processes by contributing to reducing the vulnerability of people, improving adaptive capacity, and minimizing climate change risk in line with SDG 7. But these are not without challenges either. Financial, technical, institutional, policy and legal issues are major challenges to promote RETs. This study shows that theoretically altogether 4.45 million tons of CO2e of the GHG emission can be mitigated per year if all the remaining technical potential of deploying seven major RETs consisting of biogas, improved water mill, stand-alone micro-hydro plants, mini-grid micro-hydro plants, solar PV home systems, mud-ICS and metal-ICS were installed after 2012. Considering the average annual installation of these RETs, altogether 30.71 million tons of CO2e can be mitigated between the periods of 2013 to 2030 at an annual additional installation equal to average installation done in recent past three years. The initial technology investment required for implementing the above mentioned RETs ranges from NRs 97 to NRs 23,247 per ton of CO2e mitigation. This indicates that though a moderate level of the initial investment is required for promoting RETs, the GHG mitigation potential seems to be quite promising. There is no liberty of inaction, so RETs can be a good case for a triple win strategy to address mitigation – adaptation – development nexus for climate compatible development in Nepal.

Multi-Vector Approach to Cities’ Transition to Low-Carbon Emission Developments

Globally, cities have made efforts to shift to low-carbon emission development (LED), amidst air pollution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and high temperature anomalies. However, the emphasis on cities to help shift the global economy to LED has been on a single individual sector approach operating in silos rather than the inter and intra-specific outcomes of multiple sectors. Thus, there are uncertainties of adopting suitable pathways for cities’ transition to LED, due largely to data paucity and policy incoherence, constrained further by barriers to integrating science, policy, and practice. Hence, the need for cities to take advantage of the benefits of multi-directional perspectives of multiple sectors acting together—the “multi-vector” approach, to confront key questions of climate compatible development (CCD) that support LED. Therefore, the paper extends the development narratives of the CCD approach to an “enhanced” climate compatible development (EnCCD) pathway with in-built questions and determinants to scope cities’ transition to LED. The EnCCD suggests that the standalone intersection between mitigation and development to deliver LED will not result in cities’ resilience unless (i) co-benefits, which are outcomes of mitigation and adaptation, and (ii) climate-resilient development, the product of adaptation and development, coevolved. Therefore, the EnCCD transforms the development policy focus of cities on separate, single-purpose sectors, such as energy or transport, into multi-sector portfolios having synergistic benefits of mitigation, adaptation, and development strategies.

Delivering Climate-Development Co-Benefits through Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Projects in Madagascar: Opportunities and Challenges

This paper explores multi-stakeholder perspectives on the extent to which forestry projects that pursue ecological restoration and rehabilitation in Madagascar engage with local communities and can co-deliver climate-development benefits. Drawing on mixed methods (policy analysis, semi-structured interviews, participatory site visits and focus groups) in two different forestry contexts, we show that by strengthening access to capital availability, projects can enhance local adaptive capacity and mitigation and deliver local development. We show that active consideration of ecological conservation and action plans early in project design and implementation can co-develop and support monitoring and reporting systems, needed to progress towards integrated climate-compatible development approaches. Climate mitigation benefits remain poorly quantified due to limited interest in, and low capacity to generate, carbon revenues. Monitoring alone does not ensure carbon benefits will materialize, and this research stresses that institutional considerations and strengthened engagement and cooperation between practitioners and communities are key in achieving both climate mitigation and community development impacts. Multiple benefits can be fostered by aligning objectives of multiple landscape actors (i.e., community needs and project developers) and by systematically linking project deliverables, outputs, outcomes and impacts over time, grounded in a theory of change focused on ensuring community buy-in and planning for delivery of tangible benefits.

Climate Compatible Development: Generating Co-Benefits from Climate Change Planning

Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, our climate continues to change, and people continue to adapt to new environments [...]

Business incubators and green technology: The Gauteng Climate Innovation Centre, South Africa

Business incubators are a vehicle to assist the survival prospects of start-up enterprises, many of which fail in their early years of operation. One special form of business incubator is the Climate Innovation Centre (CIC) which is part of international debates around green economies and appropriate technologies for climatecompatible development. CICs are an intervention to build innovation sites to ameliorate climate change and a highly distinctive form of business incubator in which the explicit focus is upon supporting small business startups allied to the application of green technologies. Using a qualitative approach the article analyses the establishment and operations of the Gauteng Climate Innovation Centre in South Africa. The CICSA in its first five years of operations has been ‘learning through experience’ and introduced a number of changes since its launch in 2012, including an extension of the business incubation programme and an adjusted focus to South Africa’s climate change related ‘green’ issues around energy, water and waste. Although 5 years is too short for a conclusive evaluation of CIC operations the evidence from this research with South African clean-tech enterprises is largely positive and suggests that the assistance provided by the CIC has contributed towards enterprise development.

Climate Compatible Development: Legal Implications in the Coastal Zone and Inclusive Development for Mauritius

Climate change impacts as well as coastal development affect the livelihoods of the coastal communities mainly the fishermen, agriculturalist and farmers who are highly dependent on the coastal resources to earn a living. There is at present a need to strengthen coastal zone management to cater for climate change impacts as well as to provide room for inclusive coastal development so that the main economic sector (tourism), highly dependent on coastal resources, continues to flourish but not at the cost of the livelihoods of the coastal communities. At the same time coastal resources have the characteristics of “a common good” so that property rights issues become prominent and legal implications have to be taken on board. Given the nature of the topic, the authors will deal with it from a multidisciplinary perspective, with highlights from the natural science, legal and social lenses. With facts and figures they will rely on secondary data and relevant legislations to demonstrate the importance of coastal management to foster inclusive development in the fragile economies of Small Island Development States (SIDS) with particular reference to the Mauritian case study. What shall come out of this paper shall eventually achieve public consciousness to sustainable coastal inclusive development for a better Maurice Ile Durable (MID).

Enablers and constraints of localized climate financing: The case of a second-tier city in the Philippines

This paper aimed to identify the most pressing concerns in attaining financing readiness for climate compatible development in Cagayan de Oro City, a second-tier city in the Philippines. It employed a participatory methodology that incorporated local expertise, stakeholders’ experiences and perceptions, preconditions for ensuring an effective design of climate change compatible development measures in Cagayan de Oro City. Specifically, it adopted the science-based stakeholder (SBS) method involving all relevant stakeholders throughout the stages of the research. Despite the existence of strategic plans, existing policy measures and financing schemes to address climate change compatible development in the city, the existing gaps between the types of projects needed by the city and the ability to access funds resulted to a limited or lack of implementation of these plans and improvement of the existing measures. At the local government level, there are several constraints in financing a more programmatic climate change compatible development in the city. Nonetheless, there are new emerging initiatives by government agencies, non-government and private institutions in the city that are currently being promoted