Catholic University of Eastern Africa | Development Studies

The Paris Agreement was adopted by over 190 countries during the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) held in December 2015 in Paris. The Agreement heralded many years of global climate negotiations, culminating in an agreement of a common... more

The Paris Agreement was adopted by over 190 countries during the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) held in December 2015 in Paris. The Agreement heralded many years of global climate negotiations, culminating in an agreement of a common roadmap towards mitigating the effects of climate change. This included reducing the accumulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and holding the global average increase in temperature to well below 2°C, while pursuing efforts to limit the average temperature increase to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, while concurrently ensuring sustainable development and the eradication of poverty. One of the major elements that informed the Paris Agreement was the INDCs. At the 19th Conference of Parties (COP19) held in Warsaw, Poland, Parties took a Decision5 which called on all Parties to the Convention to develop, as well as communicate in a manner that provided clarity and transparency, their INDCs. This Decision required that Parties produce their INDCs well in advance of COP21, as well as in accordance with the objectives of the Convention and in line with Article 2 of the Convention. The contributions by Parties should be a progression beyond their current undertaking and without prejudice to the legal nature of such contributions6. These contributions were indications of “intentions” by all Parties of their ‘voluntary’ commitment towards combating the challenges of climate change through their domestic emissions reduction efforts. These “intentions” thereafter formed the basis for action of the Parties, which is now referred to as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the Paris Agreement. The Agreement is expected to be legally binding on Parties that have ratified it. Recalling Decision 1/CP.20 paragraph 9-12 of COP20 in Lima, African countries were encouraged to consider components of adaptation and mitigation when communicating their INDCs8. All five EAC Member States complied with the inclusion of mitigation and
adaptation components in their INDCs based on this Decision, as well as at the request of the African
Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). As of April 2016, and in line with the invitation and request by the COPs, a total of 161 INDCs were synthesized of the 189 Parties that communicated their INDCs. However, the cumulative effect of their implementation by 2025 and 2030 fails to meet the
threshold of holding the global temperature increase within the scope of 2°C scenarios, let alone the 1.5°C threshold. From the total submissions, 53 African countries were among the Parties that communicated their INDCs to the UNFCCC Secretariat before the Paris Agreement was officially opened for signature in New York, April 22, 2016. All the EAC Member States are Parties to the Convention, and all submitted their INDCs to the UNFCCC prior to COP21. This study acknowledges that even though not all mitigation questions on NDCs of EAC Member States may have been answered, it will require continuous research and analysis as the implementation of NDCs is an iterative process and the content is subject to revision by the submitting Parties.

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- by Robert Onyeneke and +1
  Samson S A M U E L Ogallah
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— This study was undertaken to assess the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity and farmers' adaptation strategies in southwest Nigeria. The study sourced primary data from a total of 411 households who are mainly farmers... more

After decades of deliberation, the Paris Agreement has thrust climate policy into a new era of adaptation implementation. Developing countries in particular are in need of global support for adaptation; climate finance, capacity building,... more

After decades of deliberation, the Paris Agreement has thrust climate policy into a new era of adaptation implementation. Developing countries in particular are in need of global support for adaptation; climate finance, capacity building, and improved governance are critical to this support’s effectiveness. This report highlights the experiences of nations in the Global South in adaptation. We emphasize the need to bolster the effectiveness of climate adaptation action in order to ensure that the world’s most vulnerable people are well-equipped to respond to the impacts of climate change.

The report begins with an analysis of the changes in approaches to adaptation since the inception of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The analysis examines the latest generation of adaptation plans, in which the global community turns from conceptualizing and deliberating adaptation to action.

Chapter 2 introduces climate finance, a primary challenge in adaptation. There is a significant gap between funding for adaptation and funding for mitigation. Furthermore, the lack of transparency in global finance flows makes it difficult to track funding for adaptation. This chapter focuses on ten years of adaptation and resilience work in Southeast Asia in order to better understand the challenges and opportunities for climate finance.

Chapter 3 outlines key challenges for least developed countries (LDCs) in accessing climate finance, particularly from the Green Climate Fund. The complicated application process, along with the lack of clarity in the definition of adaptation as opposed to development, and an insufficient number of implementing agencies are barriers to acquiring adaptation finance.

The fourth chapter acknowledges the unique position of Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs). LACs are among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. They have successfully made use of finance readiness programs through the Green Climate Fund. This chapter argues that, building on existing efforts, Parties to the UNFCCC should continue to assess vulnerable groups, communities, and ecosystems by seeking synergies between traditional and local knowledge in order to formulate reliable socioeconomic and environmental policies.

Chapter 5 examines monitoring, reporting, and verification practices in Latin America and the Caribbean. While developed countries have historically borne much of the onus for tracking adaptation finance, there is growing interest among recipient nations in improving their own systems. Beginning with an overview of climate finance flows to the region, this work discusses steps that Latin American and Caribbean countries are taking to improve climate finance tracking, and the importance of developing international guidelines.

Chapter 6 deals with accountability in climate adaptation. It is currently impossible to calculate the support received by developing countries because their Biennial Update Reports (BURs) lack comprehensive information. There is an urgent need for common methodologies, clear reporting guidelines, and building capacity for reporting to enhance transparency, promote accountability, and ensure that the support developing countries need fully aligns with the support they receive.

The seventh chapter emphasizes the importance of building capacity for the long term in developing countries. Drawing on other international development regimes, we identify common themes and best practices that can be applied to capacity building for climate change. These include participatory planning between and across developed and developing countries, ownership of capacity building efforts by recipient countries, and a focus on education, training, and building awareness.
Finally, we recommend ten actions for moving forward on adaptation under the Paris Agreement:

1. Commit to the era of adaptation implementation.
2. Increase finance for adaptation.
3. Define ‘adaptation’ in a way that is clear and widely accepted.
4. Outline a robust reporting system with common accounting methodologies.
5. Move toward substantive assessments of progress on adaptation.
6. Ensure that finance goes to the most vulnerable and under-supported.
7. Consider in-country issues with communication and coordination.
8. Simplify and support efforts to increase climate finance readiness.
9. Co-design adaptation action with local communities.
10. Reorient capacity building efforts to focus on the long term.

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- by Samson S A M U E L Ogallah and +1
  Kenneth MacClune
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- 2
  Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Finance

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- by Jasiz Philipe Ombugu
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- Development Studies

We all appreciate beautiful things, most especially environment. I don’t know whether is true but anyone who is in love with beauty is likely to have a camera to make some pictures of things he or she comes across. But the question is,... more

Nowadays being a real painter seems to be one of the most difficult things, especially in the contemporary world, where things are becoming easier day by day with the invention of computer which has all the graphic software. However,... more

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