Unep Cc Strategy Web

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U nited n ations e nvironment P rogramme

UNEP

strategy


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Contents

1. The de ning challenge of our age 3

2. UNEPs long-term commitment to climate change 5

3. Mandate 8

4. Partnership 9

5. UNEPs past activities in climate change 12

Adaptation

Mitigation 14

Cross-cutting 17

6. Strategic priorities of UNEPs climate change programme 19

Theme 1: Adapting by building resilience 22

Theme 2: Facilitating a transition towards low carbon societies 25

Theme 3: Improving understanding of climate change science 28

Theme 4: Communicating and raising public awareness 30

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The road leading to the 15thUNFCCC Conference of Partiesin Copenhagen in December2009 is a critical one if we areto address climate change andcollectively set the world on adevelopment path that doesnot undermine our future.

C limate C hange S trategy

for the unep programme of work 2010-2011

UNEP promotesenvironmentally sound practicesglobally and in its own activities.

This booklet is printed on 100% recycledpaper, using vegetable -based inks and othereco-friendly practices. Our distribution policy

aims to reduce UNEPs carbon footprint.

Cover photo Emilio Ereza | age fotostock

ISBN: 978-92-807-2985-3

DCP/1119/NA


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1. The de ning challenge of our age

Climate change is generally recognized as the major environmental

problem acing the globe. Evidence is building that impacts are being eltin the orm o melting icecaps in the polar areas and increased variability o temperature, rain all and storms in virtually all regions. The scienti cconsensus underpinning the rising political and public recognitiono the climate problem has been captured in the recent reports o theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) clearly states that it is no

longer relevant to discuss whether the climate is changing but rather howmuch change we are committed to and how ast this will occur.In addition the IPCC emphasized that climate change, while along-term issue, needs to be considered as a medium term problemrequiring short-term action. The IPCC also states that the requiredaction to orestall serious climate change is possible with strong policies,technology development and trans er o technologies using a broad rangeo policy and technical options.

The total costs o limiting concentrations o greenhouse gas emissions(GHGs) to manageable levels will be signi cant.However, when compared with the anticipated economic impacts o climate change i mitigation does not occur and the size o the worldeconomy and its expected growth over the coming decades,the costs o mitigation will amount to a small raction o that growth.

Action to forestall seriousclimate change is possiblewith strong policies,technology developmentand transfer of technologiesusing a broad range of policyand technical options.


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In short, combating climate change should not a ect overall economicdevelopment patterns. AR4, however, underlines that this statement isonly true i action is taken urgently and that costs will increase i action isdelayed. A similar point was made in the Stern Review on the Economics

o Climate Change.

The 13th Con erence o the Parties to the UN Framework Convention onClimate Change (UNFCCC) in Bali in December 2007 (CoP13) reachedan historic agreement on the ght against global warming and the worldcommunitys ability to deal with climate change. Decision 1/CP.13 (theBali Action Plan), launched a comprehensive process to enable the ull,e ective and sustained implementation o the Convention through long-

term cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2012, in order to reachan agreed outcome and adopt a decision at its teenth session. The roadleading to the 15th Con erence o Parties in Copenhagen in December2009 is a critical one i we are to address climate change and collectively set the world on a development path that does not undermine our uture.

The political landscape is changing ast in some areas and provides reasonor optimism. At the same time the reality is that developments on short-

term policy actions and key issues under negotiation are still movingrelatively slowly. In addition, and notwithstanding the increasing political

ocus, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) continue to increase and notenough has been done to support increased resilience to climate changein developing countries.

Addressing climate change is now central to the work o the United

Nations. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has not only madeclimate change one o the three priorities or the UN system, but is alsotirelessly championing what he has called the de ning challenge o our age.

UNEP has more thantwenty years of experienceworking on climate change.UNEP helped establishthe IPCC with the WorldMeteorological Organization(WMO) in the 1980s andsupported the negotiation of

the UNFCCC, which enteredinto force in 1994.


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2. UNEPs long-term commitment to climate change

UNEP has more than twenty years o experience working on climate

change. UNEP helped establish the IPCC with the World MeteorologicalOrganization (WMO) in the 1980s and conducted assessments o thescienti c understanding o climate change in preparation or the 1992UN Con erence on Environment and Development (UNCED). UNEPalso supported the negotiation o the UNFCCC, which entered into orcein 1994.

Beyond its support or science and legal mechanisms, UNEPs work has

concentrated on e orts to reduce emissions o greenhouse gases, mainly by promoting renewable energy and improved energy e ciency, andspurring development o a carbon market. UNEP has also been active ine orts to reduce the risks o , and improve societys resilience to, climatechange, notably through its support to the development o NationalAdaptation Programmes o Action. Many o UNEPs activities, whilenot driven solely by climate concerns, have had positive mitigation oradaptation impacts.

While these e orts have o ten broken new ground in terms o innovationand awareness raising, successes have sometimes remained localized.In order to con ront the challenges spelled out clearly by the IPCC,UNEP will signi cantly scale up its climate activities where it can addmore value, working always with its major partners and stakeholders.Given its longstanding experience and mandate, UNEP is well positioned

to step up its support to governments, the private sector and civil society helping them to reduce emission o greenhouse gases and to prepare orthe consequences resulting rom a changed climate.

Joerg Boethling / Still Pictures


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The climate change programme will build on UNEPs areas o distinctiveness which include:

A broad environmental perspective and expertise in linkingclimate change to other environment and development issues

in an integrated manner;

A global environmental mandate that allows UNEP to both

work with developed and developing countries on normativerameworks and undertake projects in developing countries;

Scienti c expertise and a science-based approach that is

strongly supported by a wide network o world-class scienti cinstitutions and UNEP collaborating centres;

Convening power and proven ability o working on issues

through multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary approaches,including its strong relationship with the private sector;

Proven track record o raising public awareness on

environmental and climate change issues.

UNEP has strong competencies which can be built on in areas such asnance, including the Kyoto Protocols Clean Development Mechanism

(CDM); clean energy; ecosystems; environmental assessments;law and governance; and regional support or capacity building andtechnology trans er. Strengthening will be required, but these are areaswhere UNEP has a recognized comparative strength or advantage inrelation to other international institutions. The organization will workwith UN and other partners to improve its strategic presence. It willbuild a comprehensive climate change programme that cuts across the

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entire organization and brings together projects and unds rom multiplesources to deliver results within the ramework o its climate changestrategy.

UNEPs Climate Change Strategy is the result o a comprehensiveprocess involving external experts and UNEP sta rom across theorganization. The strategy is built on the analysis o UNEPs politicalmandate, the existing port olio o climate change activities and the areaso distinctiveness. The Climate Change Strategy provides the oundation

or trans orming the organizations engagement on climate changeand or developing a results-oriented programme o work. UNEP willcomplement other processes and the activities o other institutions and

will emphasize the substantial co-bene ts o climate change actions andtheir contribution to environmental sustainability.

UNEPs strategy and climatechange programme in noway prejudge the currentclimate negotiations.UNEP will adapt itsprogramme in 201011 tore ect any future climateagreement, including on theinternational nancial regimeon climate change nance,

and the needs of theUNFCCC Secretariat and itsParties resulting from suchagreements.


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3. Mandate

There is signi cant political support or UNEPs climate change work.

Member States have expressed their support through UNEP mandates,decisions by the Governing Council/Global Ministerial EnvironmentForum, the approved programmes o work or 2006-2007 and2008-2009, incorporating a range o activities across all Divisions toaddress the climate challenge, as well as the global ramework agreedthrough the UNFCCC. These political drivers include:

The Malm Ministerial Declaration o 2000, recognizing the

tremendous risk o climate change as an environmental issuethat needs to be addressed;

The adoption o a cross-cutting issue on biodiversity and

climate change within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD);

The Bali Strategic Plan that includes climate change as a

main thematic area.

UNEPs work on climate change is urther guided by the MediumTerm Strategy 2010-2013. At the tenth special session o the GoverningCouncil/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in February 2008,Governments welcomed the Medium Term Strategy (MTS) andauthorized the Executive Director to use it in ormulating theprogrammes o work and budgets or 20102011 and 2012-2013.Climate change is one o the six cross-cutting thematic priorities inUNEPs Medium Term Strategy around which the organization will

ocus its activities as it becomes a more e ective, e cient and results-ocused entity.

Climate change is one of thesix cross-cutting thematicpriorities in UNEPs MediumTerm Strategy around whichthe organization will focusits activities as it becomes amore effective, ef cient and

results-focused entity.


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4. Partnership

Many other organizations and other parts o the UN system are now

addressing climate change on the international level, or seeking to doso. The Secretary-General has identi ed ve ocus areas and our cross-cutting areas around which the United Nations will coordinate its climatechange activities. He has proposed UN organizations with signi cantprogrammes and mandates in each o these nine areas should play aconvening role. UNEP has been assigned a co-convening role or capacity building (with UNDP), Reducing Emissions rom De orestation andDegradation (with FAO and UNDP), public awareness (with UNCG) and

climate neutral UN. These our areas will help UNEP to urther ocus itsown climate change work.

UNEP will complement the activities o the other UN agencies workingon climate change. UNEP has held consultations on its climate changestrategy with a number o key UN players and the agreements mentionedbelow demonstrate the types o complementarities and division o labourthat UNEP will be seeking with other agencies across the system. It isworth noting that in most instances UNEP is already working with thesepartners on climate change issues, so agreements on expanded or newareas o cooperation are an evolution o existing arrangements.

The UNFCCC Secretariat is the conduit or the United Nationssystem inputs into the intergovernmental negotiation process.UNEP will ocus its activities in the provision o the substantivework that will help in orm and support the negotiation process.

Key areas o cooperation that have been agreed with the UNFCCCSecretariat in a joint work programme or 2008-2009 include:strategic communications; utilizing UNEPs analytical capacity tosupport the negotiations process; assisting small and medium-sizeddeveloping countries in the international negotiations and capacity

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building and provision o targeted analysis such as the analysis o public nance institutions. UNEP and UNFCCC are also workingclosely on supporting UNFCCC work streams especially the worko the Expert Group on Technology Trans er, e orts on nancingo climate investments and Reducing Emissions rom De orestationand Degradation (REDD). A similar joint work programme will bedeveloped or 2010 -11.

UNDP is another key partner or UNEP. The two organizationshave reviewed each others climate change strategies to ensure ullcomplementarities. While some o the desired impacts are similar(in terms o adaptation, nance and mainstreaming or example),the means to achieve these are distinct. At the country level UNEP

will ocus on piloting new and innovative approaches, developingguidelines and blueprints while UNDP will look to upscale theseproven methods. Wherever possible more detailed programmes willbe developed to present a uni ed approach to a particular theme,

or example the UNEP-UNDP-FAO Collaborative Programme onREDD under which the three agencies are undertaking all o theirREDD activities jointly, based on their distinct but complementary roles. Activities such as adaptation mainstreaming will be undertakenthrough mechanisms such as the UNEP-UNDP Poverty EnvironmentInitiative to ensure a coordinated country approach that is ully inline with the Nairobi Framework.

The World Bank is also an increasingly important partner. UNEPand the Bank have consulted on their climate changework and one concrete result is that UNEP will play a more activepart in the World Bank Climate Investment Funds.Similarly UNEP is working towards speci c agreements with the

Bank or implementing joint or complementary work on issues suchas REDD, transport etc. UNEPs work on nance in particular willbe ully complementary with the World Bank as the Bank ocuses onthe provision o large-scale investments and UNEP limits its work tocapacity building o national investors, banks and other institutions.

UNEP has been assigneda co-convening role for

capacity building (withUNDP), Reducing Emissionsfrom Deforestation andDegradation (with FAO andUNDP), public awareness(with UNCG) and climateneutral UN. These fourareas will help UNEP to

further focus its ownclimate change work.


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Work with the IPCC Secretariat will be two- old: a support rolebased on helping the Secretariat in the global assessment processeswith UNEP scientists and helping to communicate the results to awider audience; and an implementation role in helping countries touse IPCC methodologies, scenarios and tools to develop their ownnational and regional assessments to shape policy and ocus e ortson climate-proo ng vulnerable economies and a wider e ort o outreach aimed at bridging the knowledge gap on the implicationsand actions needed as a result o IPCC assessment reports.

The above are only a ew o the partners with whom UNEP will engagein the implementation o its climate change strategy. Section 6 belowprovides an indicative list o speci c partners that UNEP will be workingwith to help implement the di erent Expected Accomplishments.The list does not include a number o partners that UNEP will beworking with on all Expected Accomplishments, such as the UNFCCCSecretariat, UNDP, the GEF Secretariat as well as the relevant regional andsubregional ora and bodies such as AMCEN. UNEP will also continueto work with and through national government environment and otheragencies on all national activities.

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5. UNEPs past activities in climate change

Responses to climate change have traditionally been organized aroundtwo main types o interventions: those with a ocus on reducingemissions o greenhouse gases (mitigation) and those aimed at reducingthe risks o , and improving societys resilience to, increased climatevariability and long-term climatic changes (adaptation). For the purposeso the review o UNEPs past activities it is use ul to add a third (cross-cutting) category, covering those interventions which, directly orindirectly, support both mitigation and adaptation e orts.

Until this strategic exercise was conducted, many o UNEPs activitiesrelevant to climate change were not apparent. Although they contributeddirectly to meeting needs in the areas o adaptation, mitigation, scienceand outreach, many activities were not labelled as climate change. A realvalue o the exercise, then, is that it has revealed the true extent o UNEPsactivities in the area.

Adaptation

In the area o adaptation UNEP has acilitated the development o betterlocal climate data and its use in determining possible impacts o long-term climate change and short-term increased variability; contributedto improving scienti c methods and assessment tools, with a view toadvancing the understanding o climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation needs; and supported the improvement o the scienceand policy communities ability to undertake adaptation planningand cost-e ective preventive action, including that linked to disasterprevention e orts.

ENB


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Use o climate data to determine climate impacts: GEF unding has been used to build in ormation and institutionalcapacity in developing country government agencies, to supportthe preparation o National Adaptation Programmes o Action, as

contemplated in the UNFCCC. UNEP has also been developing andhelping countries undertake integrated environmental assessments,such as the Global Environment Outlook and its regional, subregional,national and city versions. The integrated assessments deal with climatechange and its impacts as part o a more holistic assessment process.

Adaptation planning and cost-e ective prevention:Planning and preparedness are at the heart o several UNEP e orts in

this area, notably those aimed at promoting the use o environmentalmanagement as an e ective tool or disaster risk reduction, integratingenvironment in relie and recovery operations in post-crises areas, and orecosystem resilience.

As a response to the particular vulnerability o coastal areas, UNEPis supporting national governments in e orts to develop integratedwatershed and coastal zone management plans, as well as conductingvulnerability assessments o marine biodiversity, with a view to in ormingadaptation planning in countries that depend strongly on marineresources. A web-based in ormation and knowledge plat orm helpsdisseminate best practices on these and related adaptation policies.

Improved land use and reduced de orestation:UNEPs has an existing port olio o de orestation, orest degradation andclimate change activities. Work includes developing standardized tools

or quanti cation and assessment o Carbon and GHG Bene ts, andassociated pilot studies and capacity building. UNEP is also working toenhance expertise to generate A rican carbon credits by promoting

UNEP has facilitated thedevelopment of better localclimate data and its use indetermining possible impactsof long-term climate changeand short-term increased

variability; contributed toimproving scienti c methodsand assessment tools, witha view to advancing theunderstanding of climatechange impacts, vulnerabilityand adaptation needs; andsupported the improvement

of the science and policycommunities ability toundertake adaptation planningand cost-effective preventiveaction, including that linked todisaster prevention efforts.


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orestry and bioenergy projects such as re orestation, agro orestry, andorest and soil conservation e orts. UNEP is also working to identi y the

extent to which the protected area network captures carbon under theCarbon Storage Value o Protected Areas project.

UNEP is also working on projects to promote alternatives tounsustainable orest carbon exploitation by developing innovativerevenue streams and positive incentives (in particular REDD) to helpminimize the carbon and ecosystem impacts o bioenergy productionland-use change and poor development planning. UNEP has pioneeredpractical options or peatland management and restoration usinglow-cost techniques which are appropriate or inclusion in uture

REDD interventions. UNEP also works to improve land use, and reducede orestation and orest degradation as a source o greenhousegas emissions.

Mitigation

In the area o mitigation, UNEP helps countries make sound, in ormed

energy supply choices with a ocus on renewable energy options.It does so by providing guidance on energy policies and policy re ormat the request o governments, tapping where possible expertise thatexists in the UNEP- acilitated Global Network on Energy or SustainableDevelopment. It partners with actors in key economic sectors and otherstakeholders including city networks and consumer groups toimprove the e ciency with which energy is used and promote energy conservation measures; and supports the development o the carbonmarket in developing and least developed countries.

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Renewable energy:UNEPs e orts to bolster renewable sources o energy are two-pronged:by providing in ormation and building capacity, it helps the nancialsector mobilize nancing or renewable energy investments, mostly

photovoltaic (solar) panels, wind, and solar thermal systems. UNEP alsopromotes the development o renewable energy resource in ormation by bringing together in ormation providers and user notably investorsand project developers. The goal o these initiatives has been to breakdown the nancial and in ormation barriers that prevent a larger up-takeo renewable energy technologies.

The co-hosting o the secretariat o the Renewable Energy Policy Network

or the 21st Century (REN21) with GTZ has given UNEP a strong link tothe renewable energy policy community.

UNEP has a long record o projects in the eld o access to clean energy and acilitates the work o the Global Network on Energy or SustainableDevelopment. Its e orts to mobilize nancing or small and micro-scale clean energy enterprise development in A rica, Asia and LatinAmerica have become a UNEP fagship project. A new stream o workhas recently been added to UNEPs renewable energy port olio ane ort to contribute to the development o sustainability standards or theproduction o bio uels.

Energy e fciency and conservation:As in the renewable energy area, UNEP has sought to break downin ormation and nancial barriers to measures that promote energy e ciency. To this end it has used GEF money to develop energy undsand support energy service companies, mostly in Central and Eastern

UNEP helps countries makesound, informed energysupply choices with a focus onrenewable energy options.It does so by providingguidance on energy policiesand policy reform at therequest of governments.


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Europe, as well as to promote standard-setting or certain technologies.UNEP has developed technical documents on measures to improveindustrial energy e ciency, or use by dedicated centres in developingcountries an approach that has been tested with some o the

centres in the joint UNIDO-UNEP network o National CleanerProduction Centres.

UNEP has also established a partnership bringing together stakeholdersrom the building and construction industries in an e ort to improve

the energy e ciency o buildings. Finally, in the urban and mobility context, UNEP has worked on rapid public transport systems; establishedpartnerships with car and oil companies; and conducted awareness

raising campaigns with coalitions o local authorities, mostly aroundurban transport-related air quality concerns in an e ort to exploit theclimate co-bene ts o measures aimed at reducing local air pollution inurban areas.

Carbon market development:UNEP has developed a major programme in the area o CDM, providingtechnical assistance to developing countries with a special ocus on A rica.

The CDM programme also has a central role in providing state-o -the-art guidance on evolving issues, expanding the CDM into new areas andimproving in ormation sharing through a CDM Bazaar operated jointly with the UNFCCC Secretariat. The UNEP Ris Centre operates the mostauthoritative global source o in ormation on CDM transactions, again inpartnership with the UNFCCC secretariat.

Gloria Ip Tung / 14 years / China


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Cross-cutting

Activities under this heading include UNEPs support to climatechange negotiators rom developing countries; e orts to improve thein ormation base o decision-makers, mainly through targeted economicassessments; initiatives to raise awareness about climate change issuesboth broadly and in selected audiences; and data analysis and assessmentactivities on the environment that highlight the links between globalwarming and other environmental problems.

Climate change negotiations:As a part o its support to multi-lateral environmental agreements, and

in close cooperation with the UNFCCC Secretariat, UNEP providesin ormation and training to national ocal points to the climate changenegotiation process, as well as analyses o emerging issues related tothe negotiation process. The goal o this stream o work is to ensurethat developing country concerns are taken into consideration in theintergovernmental negotiation process.

Awareness and communications:

UNEP has developed a multi- aceted approach to awareness raising andcommunications or climate change, which ranges rom global mediarelations and special events, including World Environment Day, or whichUNEP is the lead UN entity, to targeted advocacy via programmes onchildren and youth and sports and environment.

UNEP supports: climatechange negotiators fromdeveloping countries; effortsto improve the information

base of decision-makers,mainly through targetedeconomic assessments;initiatives to raise awarenessabout climate change issuesboth broadly and in selectedaudiences; and data analysisand assessment activities

on the environment thathighlight the links betweenglobal warming and otherenvironmental problems.


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At the regional level, a range o public authority networks have beenestablished with two distinct areas o ocus: exchange o best practicesand demonstration projects. Locally, in ormal campaigns have beendeveloped in Geneva and Brussels, which serve a coordination role andprovide up-to-date in ormation to UN agencies in these cities. Some o this work is carried out in cooperation with the UNFCCC Secretariat,supporting Article 6 o the Convention. In addition, UNEP is acilitatingthe transition to climate neutrality by local and national governments,cities and the private sector via a climate neutral network.

Data and assessments:The Global Environment Outlook programme remains UNEPs key

source o independent in ormation on the environment, includingclimate change. The programme is widely used in developing countriesto in orm policy-making notably, the links between variousenvironmental issues. In support o this work, the Global ClimateObservation System, a set o remote observation programmes, per ormsa monitoring unction in the areas o climate change, ocean and marineecosystem changes, and terrestrial and physical ecosystem changes. Lastly,UNEP conducts an assessment programme on water scarcity and land use

and cover.

Economics and fnance:In an e ort to provide both governments and the private sector withsound analyses linking climate change and economic concerns, UNEPhas undertaken macro-economic policy development through its workon, or example, trade and subsidies; developed tools and analyses topromote engagement by the nance sector in clean energy; and helped toraise awareness among the nancial services industry about the risks andopportunities stemming rom climate change.

Jim Zuckerman / Corbis


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6. Strategic priorities of UNEPs climate change programme

Within the Medium Term Strategy and under the climate changethematic priority, UNEPs objective is to strengthen the ability o countries to integrate climate change responses into nationaldevelopment processes. Consistent with the UNFCCC and within thebroader United Nations approach or dealing with climate change,the objectives and expected accomplishments ocus on providingenvironmental leadership in the our areas prominent in the internationalresponse to climate change: adaptation, mitigation, technology and

nance, and their interlinkages.

The UNEP expected accomplishments are:

That adaptation planning, nancing and cost-e ectivei.preventative actions are increasingly incorporated into nationaldevelopment processes that are supported by scienti c in ormation,integrated climate impact assessments and local climate data;

That countries make sound policy, technology, and investmentii.choices that lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions andpotential co-bene ts, with a ocus on clean and renewable energy sources, energy e ciency and energy conservation;

That improved technologies are deployed and obsolescentiii.technologies phased out, nanced through private and publicsources, including the Clean Development Mechanism;

That increased carbon sequestration occurs through improvediv.land use, reduced de orestation and reduced land degradation;

Climate change is a seriousthreat to ecosystems.

At the same time, healthyecosystems can providenatural buffers to theimpacts of climate change,especially extreme weatherevents. Improving thehealth of ecosystems is oneway of adapting to climate

change, and yields multipleenvironmental, economicand social bene ts.


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That country policy-makers and negotiators, civil society andv.the private sector have access to relevant climate change science andin ormation or decision-making.

The climate change strategy is wholly consistent with the Medium TermStrategy, integrates recent priorities given to UNEP by the UN CEB,and is structured around our themes mitigation, adaptation, science,and communication:

Adapting by building resilience to a changing climate:

helping developing countries to reduce vulnerabilities and buildresilience to the impacts o climate change. UNEP will buildand strengthen national institutional capacities or vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning, and support national e ortsto integrate climate change adaptation measures into developmentplanning and ecosystem management practices. The work willbe guided by and contribute to the Nairobi Work Programme onImpacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation. UNEP will also workto promote sustainable land use management and reducedemissions rom de orestation and degradation, bridging adaptation

and mitigation.

Facilitating a transition towards low carbon societies: working to reduce emission o greenhouse gases through anaccelerated shi t to lower carbon and more e cient energy systems.In line with the Bali Strategic Plan or Technology Support andCapacity-building, UNEP will acilitate technology trans er and

nancing or renewable energy and energy e ciency in order toprovide expanded access to cleaner energy, acilitate the applicationo the CDM in new sectors and countries; and oster the developmento a broader, more inclusive carbon market.

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Improving understanding o climate change science: drawing on UNEPs strengths as a science-based organization tomake available better and more relevant scienti c in ormation onclimate change impacts to developing country decision-makers and

help improve capacity to use this in ormation or policy purposes,as well as providing scienti c, legal and institutional support todeveloping country negotiators and their institutions so that they canmeaning ully contribute to a strengthened international regime onclimate change.

Communicating and raising awareness: working with partners to improve understanding o and promoteaction on di erent aspects o climate change, targeting policy-makersand negotiators, NGOs, the private sector, media, children, youth andthe public at large.

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UNEP has already signalled its commitment to scale up its efforts by realigning its work programme and by making climate change one of the six thematic priorities on which itwill focus its efforts over the next six years. While implementing this strategy will requireadditional nancial and human resources, work is already underway to organize UNEPsexisting resources behind the strategy. A formal mechanism, including staff, has also beenput in place for coordinating the implementation of the proposed climate sub-programme

and for proactively driving its implementation in a collaborative, cross divisional manner.

UNEPs climate changestrategy integratesrecent prioritiesgiven to UNEP bythe UN CEB, and isstructured around fourthemes mitigation,adaptation, science,and communication.


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Theme 1: Adapting by building resilience

Adapting to climate change is essential since even the most stringentmitigation e orts cannot avoid impacts o a changing climate. E ectivenational adaptation needs to be ully integrated into national social andeconomic processes and cannot be undertaken in isolation. Climatechange is a serious threat to ecosystems. At the same time, healthy ecosystems can provide natural bu ers to the impacts o climatechange, especially extreme weather events. Improving the health o ecosystems is one way o adapting to climate change, and yields multipleenvironmental, economic and social bene ts. UNEP will there ore assistdeveloping countries to better integrate an ecosystems approach into

their climate change adaptation e orts.

UNEPs work in climate change adaptation will ocus on meetingvulnerable countries twin needs or environmental protection andeconomic development and assisting them to integrate adaptation intotheir multi- aceted planning and deliberative processes.Activities will be undertaken in line with the Nairobi Work Programmeon Adaptation.

UNEPs work will ocus on:

Assessing vulnerabilities and adaptation services o criticalecosystems and helping to integrate the ndings into nationaldecision-making, planning and adaptation practices;

Promoting ecosystem based-adaptation and planning to help

ensure that development e orts are protected rom negative impactso climate change (climate-proo ng), including through knowledgesharing, capacity building and technology trans er;

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Riparian Forest Programme / Government of Paran / Brazil


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Helping to strengthen national institutional capacity or

adaptation planning, using knowledge, technology and policy support rom global and regional networks;

Helping to strengthen national capacity or undertaking integrated

vulnerability and adaptation assessments, including capacity buildingin developing countries on science assessments o climate change,especially adaptation, and support to eed these into global processessuch as the IPCC;

Supporting countries to integrate adaptation into their national

and sectoral development planning processes;

Providing technical, analytical and policy support to major climate

change nancing mechanisms, such as the Adaptation Fund managedby the GEF, to support the coherence o their operations and ensuretrans ormational investments in climate change

Land use, land use change and orestry policies and actions and initiativesor reducing emissions rom de orestation and degradation (REDD),

could play a signi cant role in climate change adaptation and mitigation.These initiatives can also yield signi cant sustainable developmentbene ts or co-bene ts, including or biodiversity conservation andsupport to livelihoods, and can generate new nancing or sustainable

orest management in developing countries.

UNEPs REDD activities will be undertaken within the UN collaborativeprogramme on REDD (UNEP-UNDP-FAO), which is implemented

in close coordination with the UNFCCC Secretariat and the WorldBank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. LULUCF activities will buildon UNEPs long track record o implementing GEF projects in thisarea, including development o standardized carbon monitoring andmeasurement methodologies.

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Adapting to climate change is

essential since even the moststringent mitigation effortscannot avoid impacts of achanging climate. Effectivenational adaptation needsto be fully integrated intonational social and economicprocesses and cannot beundertaken in isolation.


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The ocus o UNEPs work will be:

Mapping and assessing land use change, biodiversity, orest loss

and carbon stocks, and associated capacity building to provide theknowledge base or reducing emissions rom de orestation;

Developing and testing tools or examining and modelling

greenhouse gas emissions and carbon stocks rom de orestation, landuse change, orest and land cover degradation;

Helping countries to strengthen legal, regulatory and institutionalrameworks governing land use and orestry, including supportor establishing monitoring and veri cation systems, developing

payment structures (national to local), and running participatory consultation processes;

Supporting REDD readiness in relevant developing countries

through workshops and support or establishing monitoring andevaluation systems, payments or ecosystem services etc.;

Convening major groups working on LULUCF and REDD to shareexperiences and develop common views on monitoring, valuation

o co-bene ts, development o payment systems and e ectivegovernance (including exchanges between climate change andbiodiversity experts).

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Bios - Auteurs (droits geres) ; Bringard Denis ; / Still Pictures


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Theme 2: Facilitating a transition towards low carbon societies

As part o the transition to lower carbon societies, energy needs willincreasingly have to be met by renewable sources, advanced technologiesand better management practices. Financing is a critical element,but government policies have a strong role in infuencing investmentdecisions made by the private sector. The rich interplay betweentechnology, policy and nancing decisions involving both public andprivate sector actors will largely determine the direction and pace o thetransition. E orts to bring about change must o ten o necessity involve multiple actors and address multiple barriers in a coordinated

manner.

UNEP will, in particular, address end-user e ciency measures in selectedsectors (e.g. buildings, transport) and selected technologies (e.g. lighting,re rigeration). This will be undertaken through three types o assistance:the provision o analytical support, including assessments o renewableenergy potential and economic studies in key energy and climate changepolicy areas; the provision o policy support ocussing on advising

governments on energy e ciency and the development o renewableenergy policies; and operational interventions to help governmentsimplement renewable energy and energy e ciency programmes andreduce GHG emissions. These interventions are closely linked withthe activities in section 1.B. on nancing and deployment o cleantechnologies.

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As part of the transitionto lower carbon societies,energy needs willincreasingly have to bemet by renewable sources,advanced technologiesand better managementpractices. Financing isa critical element, butgovernment policies have

a strong role in in uencinginvestment decisions madeby the private sector.


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The ocus o UNEPs interventions will be to:

Support countries to undertake technical and economic renewable

energy resource assessments and mapping to support their energy policy and investment decisions;

Support the development o national climate technology plans

and their use to promote markets or cleaner energy technologies andhasten the phase-out o obsolete technologies;

Establish and support knowledge networks to in orm and supportkey stakeholders in the re orm o policies and the implementationo programmes or renewable energy, energy e ciency and reducedgreenhouse gas emissions;

Undertake and promote the use o macro-economic and sectoralanalysis o the costs and bene ts o di erent policy options to osterlow greenhouse gas emissions;

Develop, re ne and support the application o sustainability

criteria and evaluation tools or di erent types o bio uels and theirassociated eedstocks, and assist developing countries in devising

national bio uels plans and undertaking pilot projects that areconsistent with sustainability and overall development objectives;

Promote public/private partnerships and support application o best practice codes leading to energy e ciency improvements andgreenhouse gas emissions reductions in selected sectors.

Financing is a critical part o the shi t to a lower carbon uture, and

carbon nance is becoming an increasingly important part o the globalnancial landscape. Activities will primarily ocus on building capacity to access nancing or deploying cleaner and more e cient technologiesthat reduce emissions o greenhouse gases, mostly in ast-developing

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Financing is a critical part of the shift to a lower carbonfuture, and carbon nanceis becoming an increasinglyimportant part of the global

nancial landscape.


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countries, including through partnerships between private and publicagencies. This will include capacity building and promotion o CDMprojects, as well as other new and relevant nancing mechanisms thatmay emerge in the run-up to a post-2012 agreement.


Undertake technical and economic analyses o clean energy

and low carbon technologies to help remove barriers to nancingrenewable and energy-e cient technologies at the national level;

Help developing countries access the CDM through training,

development and use o new methodologies or sectoral CDMprojects in new areas such as land use and orestry, and undertakeglobal analysis o the CDM to help stimulate both greater interestand increased use;

Help nancial institutions in developing countries create

dedicated clean energy unds, including through links to public andprivate sector nanciers in developed countries, and support creationo new national public agencies that und low-GHG investments in

developing countries using;

Advise national and local banks that are establishing lending

programmes or renewable energy products in developing countries,and conduct capacity building programmes or national banks,insurance companies and others to help create or expand lending orenergy e ciency investments;

Create and support pro essional networks and related initiatives

or banks, insurers, pension unds and other nancial institutionsinterested in supporting low-GHG investments, building on the worko the UNEP Finance Initiative.

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Joerg Boethling / Still Pictures


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Theme 3: Improving understanding of climate change science Developing countries in particular need better in ormation on how theclimate is likely to change in the uture. There is an urgent need orregional and national scienti c assessments o climate change, its impacts,the costs o mitigation and adaptation (and the costs o inaction), as wellas national vulnerability assessments. UNEP will draw on its strengthsas a science-based organization in promoting the advancement o understanding about the causes and consequences o climate change,and the responses available to decision-makers. UNEP will also continueits support to the IPCC, in particular through its secretariat. Activities

will include undertaking science-based assessments in order to helpincrease awareness o climate change and promote integration o climatechange into policy-making in developing countries and countries witheconomies in transition.

UNEP will provide access to credible and relevant science or nationalgovernment climate change o cials rom developing countriesand countries with economies in transition in order to acilitate the

negotiation and implementation o climate-related MEAs. As part o thisprocess, UNEP will work in partnership with the UNFCCC Secretariatin organizing preparatory workshops or negotiators as well as otheroutreach programmes in support o the UNFCCC.

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Developing countries inparticular need betterinformation on how theclimate is likely to changein the future. There is anurgent need for regionaland national scienti cassessments of climatechange, its impacts, thecosts of mitigation and

adaptation (and the costs of inaction), as well as nationalvulnerability assessments.


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Undertake science-based assessment to increase awareness o

climate change and its impact on speci c sectors, and promoteintegration o climate change into policy making;

Implement capacity building programmes to help countries

customize climate change data, in ormation and scenarios to theirneeds in order to strengthen climate change policy planning;

Provide technical support and training or climate change

negotiators and stakeholders charged with implementing climaterelated multilateral environmental agreements;

Provide advisory and support services to Major Groups to

demonstrate how climate change can be integrated into theiractivities, including technical assistance and capacity buildingworkshops or networks o stakeholders or articulating positions onclimate change.

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Kathrine Z. Liu / 9 years / USA


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Theme 4: Communicating and raising public awareness

The United Nations is expected to and must play a key role in providingsome o the answers and in ormation that wider society expects, andUNEP has been given the UN system lead in climate change outreach.Audiences throughout the world are increasingly exposed to climate-related stories predominantly negative and inadequately solution-oriented. Helping governments, industry and the public to make senseo it all and take in ormed actions is a communications and advocacy challenge and opportunity that UNEP must embrace. UNEPs activitieswill be undertaken in collaboration with partners to ensure coordination

and the highest impact possible, and will both guide and be in ormed by the UN Communications Group Task Force on Climate Change.


Develop strategic communications, including through mutually

rein orcing messages with the UNFCCC Secretariat, to convey a senseo urgency in dealing with climate change;

Use media and outreach activities to help deliver key messages on

climate change, especially those derived rom UNEP Climate Changepublications, to the media and other target groups;

Help communicate success ul climate change programmes to key

stakeholders to promote replication o best practices and successstories using the Internet and audiovisual tools;

Conduct awareness raising, outreach, education and training or

Major Groups to promote climate awareness, including targetedcampaigns (e.g. Billion Tree Campaign, Climate Neutral Network),and special events (e.g. World Environment Day).

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UNEP has been giventhe UN system leadin climate changeoutreach. Audiencesthroughout the world are

increasingly exposed toclimate-related stories predominantly negativeand inadequatelysolution-oriented. Helpinggovernments, industryand the public to makesense of it all and takeinformed actions is acommunications andadvocacy challenge andopportunity that UNEPmust embrace.


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ISBN: 978-92-807-2985-3DCP/1119/NA

United Nations Environment ProgrammeP.O. Box 30552 Nairobi, 00100 Kenya

Tel: (254 20) 7621234Fax: (254 20) 7623927

E-mail: [email protected]: www.unep.org

www.unep.org

Unep Cc Strategy Web

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