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In continuation of the successful GPA 1.0 and 2.0, this analysis of new case studies for the GPD enhances and expands the existing repository of good practice examples with a focus on NDC implementation, demonstrating how mitigation and adaptation action can be effectively designed and implemented across different country contexts. The objective of this summary report is to synthesise the key findings from these new cases, highlighting key elements of good practice and success factors that can be considered important building blocks for ambitious climate action. Conclusions: The results of...

NewClimate Institute together with GIZ provided support to the Mongolian NDC process between September 2018 and March 2020. This report provides a synthesis of the results of three years of supporting governmental and non-governmental constituencies with analytical support for the energy supply sector. At the core of the work were two strands. 1) Scenario analysis to support the understanding of the implication of the long term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement for the Mongolian electricity supply sector. 2) Analysis of socio-economic impacts of the energy transition, especially...

The “Ambition to Action” (A2A) project provided support to the Argentinian NDC process between March 2017 and December 2019. This report provides a synthesis of the results of three years of supporting governmental and non-governmental constituencies with analytical support for the energy supply sector. At the core of the work were three strands. 1) Scenario analysis to support the understanding of the implication of the long term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. 2) Analysis of socio-economic impacts of the energy transition, especially regarding employment and industrial development...

Based on experiences in several countries, this paper formulates six key lessons learnt for the assessment of sustainable development impacts and their integration into climate policy making. The lessons focus on technical as well as political aspects and include recommendations for future work in this area to support ambition raising and sustainable development through robust evidence. Conclusions:

Nearly all the world’s governments have prepared and submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), setting out their climate pledges under the 2015 Paris Agreement. These NDCs are to be regularly updated, and many countries are expected to submit a new NDC in 2020. While several studies have assessed the content and potential impacts of the NDCs, this article focusses on the preparatory process and asks the question: under what conditions can countries be expected to develop NDCs that are sufficiently ambitious to contribute to fulfilling the Paris Agreement goals? For some...

The NDC Update Report tracks the progress on the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. The theme of this report is the role of long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LTSs) in achieving the Paris Agreement goal. This report argues for the importance of developing long-term (sector) strategies to determine the highest possible ambition for the coming NDC update (until 2030) and to signal a clear path for future NDC ambition raising (towards net-zero in 2050). Governments can use the NDC update to signal that indeed the highest...

This report explores how various political and financial measures could help to "de-risk" renewables investment using onshore wind investments in Serbia and Greece as case examples. Introduction: The financing costs for renewable energies in Southeast Europe have been significantly higher than for conventional power plants. Additionally, high risk premiums hamper the expansion of wind and solar power plants in the region. This study shows which political and financial de-risking measures can reduce costs of renewable energy projects in South East Europe. Most South East European countries rely...

The paper formulates 10 points for mitigation ambition and includes recommendations on ways to support ambition raising through international cooperation. Introduction: All governments have committed to the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement. The findings of IPCC 1.5 Special Report (IPCC 1.5SR) illustrate the climate impacts and risks associated with exceeding 1.5°C and clearly underscore that greater ambition is urgently needed to achieve this limit as current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are inconsistent with Paris compatible pathways. This has implications for the role of...

To reach the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, most countries will need to reduce emissions to net-zero in 2050 or shortly thereafter. This report considers this challenge from a sector perspective, examining decarbonisation from several different angles. For the following five key sectors: power, industry, transport, buildings, and agriculture, forestry and other land-use, it highlights the leading mitigation options and their implications for longer-term planning. The report further describes how modelling and developing scenarios can support mitigation planning, and how...

The required mobilisation of funds for a Paris-compatible development urges for an improved coordination between all of the actors involved in the low-emission transition as well as demands comprehensive knowledge base to address the systemic challenge of financing sustainable economic development. This publication is part of a project enhancing the exchange of experiences between experts, business community and civil society policymakers to improve the assessment and design of domestic climate finance investment environments. It describes existing methods to track climate finance and...

The NDC Update Report tracks the progress on the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. The theme of this edition is "Ambition": We look ahead and explore whether governments are ready for the next round of pledges and where support and preparation could focus. Executive summary: In December 2018, two years on from the ratification of the Paris Agreement, and two years from the first call for more ambitious pledges, the international community is cautiously observing collective efforts to reduce emissions. The IPCC report Global Warming of 1.5oC...

The SDG Climate Action Nexus tool ( SCAN-tool) is designed to provide high-level guidance on how mitigation actions can impact achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It can support policy makers to achieve greater policy coherence and to improve the efficiency of implementation by providing them with an initial indication of which climate actions may impact -positively or negatively- specific SDG targets. The SCAN-tool can also potentially inform the process of putting forward increasingly ambitious pledges of climate action, required every five years under the ambition...

The refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector faces a particular challenge in the implementation of effective finance strategies given its cross-sectoral nature – extending from manufacturing of gases and appliances to energy end-use in buildings – and hence the different institutional responsibilities as well as policy and compliance regimes that affect the sector. Against this backdrop, this paper focusses on questions related to the financing of the low-carbon transition of the RAC sector. The objective of the paper is to provide an overview of the current finance situation in the...

The study updates an earlier 2014 analyses and was conducted in cooperation with ALCOR and UNDP. Objective Developing countries often suffer from a high cost of capital. Because utility-scale wind and solar photovoltaic power plants require high upfront capital investments, the corresponding levelized cost of electricity (LCOEs) are very sensible to the cost of capital. States can respond to a high a cost of capital by introducing public derisking measures, that can be understood as interventions by the government and its partners to address specific investment risks, in the form of policies...

In this special edition of the NDC Update Report, we focus on the relationship between Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and explore how climate and development actions can support each other. Key messages: 2015 was a breakthrough year for climate action and development, with the signing of the Paris Agree­ment and a global commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These challenging and comprehensive global agendas require fundamental rethinking of the way our economies operate and have led to renewed calls for greater...