Webinar: Europe’s Green Transition: Norway’s Role, Promises and Challenges
This webinar brings together experts and policymakers to explore Norway’s evolving partnership with the EU in shaping a sustainable future.
China Pushes Forward Climate Policy Steadily
• Although it functions as a rhetorical excuse for watering down ambitious climate targets in Europe and the US, China has in recent years seen quite a tangible acceleration of climate action. • It has slowed the growth of CO2 emissions, significantly expanded clean energy, and for the first time embedded carbon peaking and neutrality into the 14th Five-Year Plan. China’s climate strategy has shifted from loose energy-saving measures to the integrated “1+N” framework. • The recently released third Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement sets out detailed sectoral and annual targets. So far, strong central government leadership, policy continuity, technical support from research institutions, and international pressure have reinforced the steady strengthening of climate policy. • However, balancing economic growth with decarbonization, ensuring grid stability, and managing risks from intensifying extreme weather will be critical to meeting long-term climate commitments.
Climate, peace and security in stabilization contexts in the Sahel
The Sahel region faces a deepening crisis from conflict, insecurity and the increasingly pronounced effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Three countries in the Sahel, Chad, Niger and Mali, rank among the seven most vulnerable countries to climate change. The region is very susceptible to recurrent droughts, land, biodiversity degradation, and erratic rainfall patterns, the compounded effects of which have propelled a severe degradation of agriculture, rangelands, and water resources, exacerbated food and water insecurity and driven displacements. Climate-related challenges intertwine with a complex socio-political security situation and political economy marked by conflicts, crises, violent extremism, terrorism, transnational organized crime and clashes over natural resources. Climate impacts and the related security risks are crucial in understanding the complex multidimensional crisis in the Sahel and offer an important lens for the analysis of the root causes of insecurities. This document summarizes the proceedings of the Regional Experts Workshop - La Somone, Senegal, March 2024 and High-level Partnerships Forum New York, USA, April 2024, which were convened in partnership with the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), Liptako-Gourma Authority (LGA), African Union Commission (AUC), Climate commission for the Sahel Region (CCRS), the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), UNOCA and UNOWAS via the Climate Security Mechanism (CSM). Both featured technical and high-level segments, bringing together over 250 stakeholders through a combination of in-person and hybrid sessions to understand how climate, peace and security approaches can complement ongoing stabilization efforts in the Sahel. Sincere thanks are extended to H.E. Abdou Abarry, Zinurine Abiodu Alghali, Chika Charles Aniekwe, H.E. Hawa Aw, H.E. Issifi Boureima, Blerta Cela, Tendai Kasinganeti, H.E. Mamman Nuhu, Andrew E. Yaw Tchie, Elvis Tangem, and their teams for their contributions to the proceedings. The communiqué and outcome report were prepared under the overall direction and supervision of Njoya Tikum, Director of UNDP Sub-Regional Hub for West Africa and the Sahel, and Catherine Wong, Team Leader, Climate and Security Risk, by Serena Arcone, with contributions from Eri Yamasumi, Sierge Ndjekouneyom, Pascal Yaka, Mabaye Dia, Galiné Yanon and with thanks to Pierre Bengono, Anab Grand and Lieneh Modalal for their support throughout the process.
Keeping the UK’s climate promise: restoring leadership through delivery
The UK holds a strong position on climate policy globally. However, it currently faces a significant implementation gap between its ambition and the domestic policies in place to achieve it. This gap puts its credibility as an international climate leader at risk. To resolve this, the UK should: - Take further action to bring down the cost of electricity. - Ensure the effective roll-out of existing schemes outlined to meet the 2030, 2035, and 2050 targets. - Strengthen the commitment to ending all new fossil fuel development. - Expand its international climate fi nance commitments. - Consider going beyond minimum targets for 1.5 degrees
From laggard to leader? Australia’s path to climate credibility
Climate policy has a somewhat chequered history in Australia. Progress has been inconsistent and ambition has historically fallen far short of the country’s fair share. Ambition has grown substantially in recent years, although recent targets remain insufficient to align with a 1.5 °C pathway. To build on its current trajectory and ensure the extent of its obligations are met, Australia should: - Reduce reliance on LULUCF sequestration in developing climate targets - Rapidly reduce reliance on and subsidisation of fossil fuels - Tighten and review the Safeguard Mechanism for industrial emissions reductions - Substantially scale up international climate finance
Topographies of global-local connections in the Amazon: An analysis of networks of stakeholder participation in international environmental projects
Global governance has long been pushed to localize, incorporating local voices and knowledge to become both more equitable and effective. This has been particularly the case for global environmental governance, where polycentric modes of governance are found to help local actors acquire responsible stewardship and use resources sustainably. However, the selection of which local actors and knowledges will be incorporated in global governance is still dependent on major international development organizations and funding agencies. This article poses the following questions: Which types of actors are incorporated in the global governance of the Amazon and how do they participate therein? To that end, we analyze the network of stakeholders involved in development, execution, or governance of internationally funded projects in the Amazon. Analyzed projects which were part of a major multilateral initiative—the Global Environmental Facility—focusing on those whose main activities are in the Amazon Rainforest biome. The analysis sheds light on the hierarchies and patterns of exclusion in these networks, identifying which types of actors occupy central and peripheral position, and which others are underrepresented. This will expand our understanding of the politics of global local entanglements in the governance of the Amazon.
Water and conflict in Central Asia
Temperatures in Central Asia are rising faster than the world average, reducing water availability, increasing food security, and causing more frequent natural disasters. The Aral Sea Basin’s arid climate makes it particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Among the Central Asian countries, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are the most vulnerable to water stress. Inter-state disputes over water became more frequent during 2014-2024, including some violent conflicts. Water-related protests in Central Asia are becoming more frequent relative to other types of protest. Joint action is required to increase the region’s water storage capacity, since accelerated glacier melt may destabilize the seasonal runoff.
Does ASEAN climate policy pay sufficient attention to public transportation?
Expansion of public transportation is a climate mitigation measure with many potential co-benefits and positive externalities: reduced congestion, lower air and noise pollution, improved road safety, and poverty alleviation. Most of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) face serious challenges in all these areas. This paper therefore investigates how much emphasis the ten ASEAN member states are putting on public transportation compared to other areas in their climate policies. As the empirical basis for the analysis, a dataset was compiled of all targets and measures in the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of the ASEAN countries. The analysis shows that only 2.2% of the sectoral mitigation targets and measures in the ASEAN NDCs relate to public transportation, and six of the ten NDCs have no public transportation targets or measures. These numbers are surprisingly low considering the challenges related to transportation in the ASEAN megacities and the numerous co-benefits of resolving them. Using the Avoid-Shift-Improve framework for sustainable transportation, the study finds that almost three fourths of the transportation targets and measures in the NDCs belong to the “Improve” category. This indicates that there is potential to further develop policies to “Shift” travel to public transportation and integrate them into the next round of NDC updates.