Bibliothèque

This technical document aims to inform policymakers of the shortcomings and opportunities for adaptation to climate change in Africa. It details adaptation costs under three scenarios. According to the document, annual adaptation costs due to past emissions are estimated at US$7-15 billion by 2020. Under a scenario where warming is kept below 2°C by 2050, annual adaptation costs are estimated at US$35 billion per year. Under the scenario where present emissions policies remain unchanged and the world experiences warming to 3.5-4°C by 2100, the adaptation cost could reach US$50 billion per year by 2050.

This technical document presents the latest estimates of the emissions gap in 2020 and provides plentiful information, including about current (2010) and projected (2020) levels of global greenhouse gas emissions, both in the absence of additional policies and consistent with national pledge implementation; the implications of starting decided emission reductions now or in the coming decades; agricultural development policies that can help increase yields, reduce fertilizer usage and bring about other benefits, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases; and, international cooperative initiatives that, while potentially overlapping with pledges, can complement them and help bridge the emissions gap.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Prospects for large additional infusions of public funds from industrialised countries have declined for a variety of reasons, including the financial crises in the USA and the EU.
-Private sector sources will be needed to help meet climate finance commitments.
-Modest levies on international air and marine transport services could easily raise the equivalent of US$10-33 billion per year for climate finance.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-The impact of climate change on health occurs both directly and indirectly.
-Africa is particularly vulnerable to the health effects of climate change.
-African countries have begun to address climate and health issues.
-More research is needed to enable the design of effective responses and policies to address the health impacts of climate change.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Africa has considerable fossil fuel resources and must use them to improve energy access and increase economic growth.
-Use of cleaner fossil fuel technologies must be emphasised if greenhouse gas emissions are to be kept to a minimum.
-Tradable permits and other policy instruments could be used in Africa to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Africa has a vast potential to produce bio-energy.
-Bio-energy has significant potential to mitigate greenhouse gases.
-Bio-energy production may also help create rural livelihoods, earn foreign exchange, and reduce dependence on imported sources of energy.
-Some important challenges, including land use and environmental challenges, must be properly addressed.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Use of renewable energy technologies can help mitigate greenhouse gases and enhance access to clean energy.
-Barriers to the introduction of renewable energy must be overcome to benefit from their promise.
-Consistent and achievable targets must be set for renewable energy development.
-Policies that encourage low carbon renewable.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Climate change is likely to intensify the water scarcity challenges that Africa is already facing.
-Improving crop, livestock, and water productivity is central to agricultural water management.
-Many options exist for improving agricultural water management and adaptation to climate change.
-Many of these options can also improve the profitability of smallholder agriculture and reduce vulnerability.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Even without the effects of climate change, the agricultural sector in Africa is facing numerous challenges that are responsible for its perennially low productivity.
-Climate change and climate variability threaten to diminish the ability of African agricultural producers to provide enough food for the expanding population of Africa.
-Many win-win options exist to help the agricultural sector in Africa adapt to climate change.
-The African Climate Policy Centre has an important role to play in facilitating considerations of these options.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Groundwater represents a vast untapped source of water in Africa, but technical, socio-economic, and institutional factors, have constrained its use.
-Groundwater management in Africa can be an essential component of climate change adaptation strategies.
-However, important gaps in knowledge of groundwater resources exist in Africa that must be narrowed if groundwater is to play a major role in assisting adaptation to climate change.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Many vital water resources in Africa are already under pressure.
-Climate change plus population increase will add to the pressure on Africa’s water resources.
-A wide variety of options exist to help Africa adapt its water management systems to a changing climate.
-Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is key to effective and efficient management of water resources.

This policy document provides the following keymessages to decision makers in Africa:

-Adequate climate observing systems are key to effective climate risk management.
-Observing networks in Africa have been deteriorating and need to be improved.
-Historical data have great value and, where not available, must be rescued and used in climate analyses.
-The African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), an initiative of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, has a key role to play in facilitating improvements in Africa’s climate observing systems.

This policy document provides the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Most African countries are highly vulnerable to climate change.
-Potential impacts related to climate change exist in all sectors.
-Adaptation policies and measures to cope with a changing climate will need to be tailored to local needs.
-The African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) has an important role in reducing obstacles to integrating climate concerns into development activities and in identifying options to reduce vulnerability to climate change.

This policy document presents the following key messages to decision makers in Africa:

-Current monitoring systems are not adequate for supporting growth and sustainable development.
-Climate services in Africa are not well developed.
-Scientific understanding of the African climate system is limited, and the level of understanding varies significantly from region to region.
-The African Climate Policy Centre can play a role as a knowledge broker at the science-development-policy interface.

This technical document aims to provide an overview of the actual and potential impacts of climate change on forest and rangeland resources in southern Africa, review related efforts under way in the countries and the region to respond to climate change, and identify areas of potential cooperation among countries in the region. It is of interest to specialists and policy-makers in the forest, rangeland and climate change sectors in southern Africa as well as forest managers, students and members of the general public interested in learning more about forests, rangelands and climate change adaptation in the region.

This technical document describes the current situation and prospects of the funding mechanisms for renewable energies (RE) in North Africa. It consists of the following main parts: 1) iInternational and regional background, 2) inventory of RE in the region; 3) prospects of RE in the region, and 4) funding mechanisms and incentives specific to RE.

This analytical report gives an overview of the current situation and of development prospects for renewable energies in North Africa. It is an in-depth analysis of policies and programmes and of the institutional, legal and financial instruments put in place to support the various technologies. Stress is laid on synergies and partnership opportunities in the region, as well as in a cooperation framework with the European Union. Recommendations are made for lowering barriers to the development of renewable energies and for improving energy efficiency.

This analytical report aims to provide a case for why and how investors and their service providers should start measuring, disclosing and reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with their investments and investment portfolios. The first two sections present current political, social and economic trends towards greater scrutiny and regulations of GHG emissions. The next two sections detail various ways in which investors can begin to measure and address the GHG emissions embedded in their portfolios, including advantages and obstacles associated with different methods. The document concludes with a short explanation of some of the future work to assist investors and other financial intermediaries (FIs) in addressing their financed emissions, as well as a number of case studies on how leading FIs have already begun addressing theirs.

This technical document aims  to provide a comprehensive overview of the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) concept and enhance the understanding of NAMAs by explaining the underlying decisions of the Conference of the Parties in layman’s terms. The first chapter describes how the concept of NAMA emerged in the context of the negotiations on climate change. The second chapter clarifies the understanding of NAMAs in the context of the global temperature goal, and moves on to discuss the legal nature and scope of NAMAs. The third chapter specifically addresses the concept of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), and describes the implications for countries implementing the MRV requirements. The last chapter discusses institutional arrangements, under the Convention, for providing financing to develop and implement NAMAs. The chapter also briefly discusses the different financial sources for implementing NAMAs, and concludes by explaining the concept of incremental cost in this specific context.

This technical document provides insights into the linkage between energy and poverty, with a focus on the developing countries of the Asia and the Pacific region. It emphasizes the issues of securing energy needs of poor and climate change mitigation emerging as conflicting challenges, and their significance in the Asia-Pacific region in the global context. It also explores the possibility of providing universal access to modern energy carriers for the households of the Asia-Pacific by adopting a low-carbon pathway.