Small island states are leading the way on climate action

The developing world is showing leadership on long-term climate goals, but needs more than words to sustain its ambition, says Cassie Flynn, climate adviser at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ).

This content was published on December 11, 2020 – 11:38

11 December 2020 – 11:38

Five years ago in Paris, long negotiations and a rare consensus led 196 countries to adopt the Paris Agreement. The goal was ambitious: to provide a global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature increase this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The vehicle was Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – each country’s efforts to reduce domestic emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Although the first round of NDCs was a frantic race, the Paris Agreement established the mechanism for countries to resubmit their targets, increase their ambition over time, and do better. The UNDP Climate PromiseExternal linkthe world’s largest support program to help 115 developing countries scale up their commitments, gives us the opportunity to identify three major trends, which are shaping the way the world designs future climate policies.

What is striking is the significant legacy of leadership from developing countries since 2015. Despite their size and negligible contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) around the world are opening leading the way in climate action and advocacy.

If there’s one thing the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the world, with painful but stark clarity, it’s that in times of crisis, the most vulnerable – people and countries – are hardest hit. affected. Yet when it comes to the greatest obstacle humanity still faces – climate change – that could make Covid-19 look like a dress rehearsal, it is the same vulnerable who are taking the initiative to steer this planetary vessel towards Security.

Developing countries are at the forefront of climate action: over 80% plan to increase mitigation ambition and 97% plan to increase adaptation ambition. Similarly, all least developed countries (LDCs) are aiming higher and planning to increase their adaptation ambition. Bhutan and Suriname are the first in the world to achieve their net zero goals and become carbon negative. Both countries show us that it is possible to get out of the climate crisis: they absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere than they emit thanks to their vast forest cover and their carbon sinks.

Many of them, through the Covid-19 crisis, have realized the opportunities to leverage NDC improvement processes to push towards a greener and more sustainable development path, making the Covid-19 crisis a catalyst moment for transformation. Costa Rica and Thailand are just two examples. They have incorporated NDC-related recommendations into their COVID-19 recovery plans and models. Governments are looking at tax incentive options for climate action that could also advance economic recovery. It is the true embodiment of “recover better”.

Finally, developing countries are combining climate, gender and youth policies to drive change. Climate ambition has become the basis for an inclusive social approach. Developing countries rightly recognize that women and youth can trigger high ambition, accountability and climate justice. After five years, the majority of Climate Promise countries include gender-sensitive activities in their work plans. The same goes for youth-related priorities: while in 2015 only 40% of first-generation NDCs included direct references to children or youth, 75% of Climate Promise countries now make priority to youth.

Just last week, while delivering the ‘state of the planet’, the UN secretary-general spared no words in warning of the ‘suicidal’ war that humanity is waging against nature, a war that will lead to a “climate catastrophe”. Where are the developed countries in all this? Although some long-term strategies of major emitters are bold and aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement, their deadlines are decades away.

The two main needs of developing countries to pursue their ambitions are financing and technical assistance. Article 6 of the Paris Agreement aims to promote international cooperation through carbon markets. For example, countries can purchase carbon credits against infrastructure development, as in the case of the recent Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMO) between Ghana and Switzerland. This system may not be perfect, but it injects capital where it is needed most. Switzerland can play an important role in influencing global capital markets by aligning finance with climate action. Developed countries need to look at the developing world’s legacy of leadership, see the example set by the most vulnerable, and start raising their ambition here, now.

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