Keeping Climate Ambition Alive: Challenges Remain but Signs of Progress Abound

• Opinion by Pablo Vieira Samper (washington dc)
• Thursday, December 03, 2020
• Inter Press Service

We had been thrown a curveball, nonetheless, as an sudden and devastating international pandemic shifted nationwide priorities towards public well being and financial restoration.

And despite the fact that we confronted one of many hottest years on report—wherein the impacts of local weather change had been seen and skilled in wildfires, floods, hurricanes, droughts, and different hostile occasions—international locations’ home agendas had been compelled to take care of pandemic-related subjects.

Nonetheless, the crucial to behave has not disappeared. In actual fact, it’s extra crucial than ever. Fortuitously, whereas work to assist and allow international locations to extend ambition of their enhanced NDCs was delayed in some circumstances, it was not derailed. The work has needed to forge forward by way of vital and unexpected obstacles, however it has continued. And the NDC Partnership has performed a major position in preserving motion on the agenda and preserving outcomes inside attain.

The NDC Partnership is a worldwide coalition of nations and establishments collaborating to drive transformational local weather motion by way of sustainable improvement. Whereas nations sign their Paris Settlement commitments with NDCs, the NDC Partnership brings collectively international locations, establishments, and assets in new methods to speed up implementation and improve ambition over time.

We now have seen vital progress within the implementation of nationwide local weather commitments in the course of the 4 years since we had been based to assist creating international locations in reaching their commitments beneath the Paris Settlement.

We grew to greater than 180 members, together with developed and creating international locations in addition to main worldwide establishments and non-state actors. We mobilized and disbursed greater than a billion by way of a number of member-managed NDC financing services.

And thru an revolutionary Local weather Motion Enhancement Package deal launched only a yr in the past, a complete of 65 international locations now obtain assist to reinforce NDC high quality and lift local weather ambition. An excessive amount of this work was achieved regardless of the challenges of a worldwide pandemic.

Our success was made potential by the spectacular dedication of our members and their shared conviction that by working collectively, we will be greater than the sum of our elements. And as we finalize our second work program to information us from 2021-2025, we purpose to construct on our early successes to drive nonetheless extra bold motion on local weather change and sustainable improvement.

Whereas international locations are finalizing their five-year NDC revisions, our second Work Program will assist the transition from planning to implementation, and as soon as once more into planning for increased ambition. And it comes as we face a stark actuality, that international motion on local weather change nonetheless lags properly behind what is required.

Extra successfully participating youth in local weather motion is a technique the Partnership has pushed forward with bringing a whole-of-society strategy when creating and implementing local weather options. In our first years, 17 international locations requested assist associated to youth engagement. Consequently, our Steering Committee known as for a Youth Activity Pressure (YTF).

Regardless of the pandemic, the YTF led a consultative course of this yr with youth from world wide to determine priorities and obstacles for youth engagement in local weather motion and make suggestions for the Partnership to meaningfully have interaction youth. Shifting ahead, as we implement the Youth Engagement Plan (YEP), youth could have a seat on the desk with processes, tasks, capability, and engagement mechanisms all constructed particularly with this viewers in thoughts.

Whereas COVID-19 presents monumental challenges, it additionally presents alternatives to combine inexperienced restoration as international locations rebuild their economies. In June, the Partnership launched an Financial Advisory Initiative to deploy financial advisors to arrange inexperienced restoration plans and packages in response to COVID-19.

Our drive to place local weather on the coronary heart of COVID-19 restoration plans is pushed by nation wants captured in our survey of 68 creating international locations on the onset of the pandemic. Our distinctive coordinating position and responsiveness means we’ve got already deployed advisors to planning and finance ministries in 33 international locations, with assist from 13 of its members.

A digital Thematic Expert Group and a Green Recovery Network have additionally been established to reinforce the financial advisory assist and facilitate ongoing studying. This degree of responsiveness and coordinated assist is strictly what we have to preserve local weather motion related and in sync with the worldwide state of affairs. 5 years after the Paris Settlement’s signing, actions like these are preserving it alive.

This month, at our Annual Members Discussion board, Costa Rica and the Netherlands cross the torch to the NDC Partnership’s new Co-Chairs, Jamaica and the UK. Whereas there’s a lot to be happy with as we mirror on progress made on this yr and the previous 4 years, we nonetheless face main challenges.

We, as a Partnership and a global group, are grateful for Costa Rica and the Netherlands’ management over the previous two years. They’ve set a excessive bar, however with Jamaica and the U.Ok. taking the helm, our report of sturdy, decisive, and forward-looking management is all however assured to proceed.

The challenges we face are nice, however we’re as much as the duty.

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© Inter Press Service (2020) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service