The Critical Role of Observations in Informing Climate Science, Assessment and Policy
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It has been more than 20 years since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992) noted the importance of technology development and transfer (hereon referred to as ‘tec...
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The U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change was a federally coordinated nationwide effort that involved thousands of experts and stakeholders. To draw lessons from this effort, the 10 authors of this paper, half of whom were not involved in the Assessment, developed and administered an extensive survey, prepared a series of working papers, and conducted an invitational workshop in Washington, DC, on April 29, 2004. Considering all these sources, the authors conclude that the Assessment was largely successful in implementing its basic design of distributed stakeholder involvement and in achieving its basic objectives. Future assessments could be significantly improved if greater attention were devoted to developing a collective understanding of objectives, preparing guidance materials and providing training for assessment participants, developing a budgeting mechanism which would allow greater freedom in allocating resources across various assessment activities, and creating an environment in which assessments were part of an ongoing process.
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Patterns of national climate policy performance and their implications for the geopolitics of climate change are examined. An overview of levels of emissions performance across countries is first provided. Substantial changes in emissions trends over time are documented, notably with GHG emissions trajectories, which are shaped less and less by the developed/developing country divide. Various patterns of policy convergence and divergence in the types of policies states implement are then surveyed. Four broad types of explanation that may account for these trends are then explored: (1) variation in the institutional form of country-level governance regimes, (2) patterns of dependence on fossil fuel energy, (3) broad systemic differences among states (specifically in their population densities, carbon intensity, and per capita incomes, and (4) variations in the traditions of economic intervention by states. The article contributes to the growing body of work on comparative climate policy, and provides a first attempt at exploring the comparative politics of instrument choice. The analysis challenges the continued importance of a North–South divide for the future of climate policy, thus reinforcing a sense of the 'new geopolitics' of climate change. Some of the implications of the analysis for debates about the form of future international agreement on mitigation policy are also explored. Policy relevance The article contributes to the understanding of the variety of institutional conditions under which policy makers develop policy and thus the constraints and opportunities for the design of international agreements under these conditions.
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AbstractStarting from a summary of key developments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) related to adaptation and technologies, the commentary provides an initial review of the available literature relevant to adaptation in the context of technology development and transfer. It summarizes what technologies for adaptation are, how they relate to development, and what their role is in adaptation. It subsequently highlights a number of policy and research issues that could be important to inform future policy. The commentary has two key messages. First, it argues that informed policy decisions on technology development and transfer to enhance adaptation require systematic assessments of the findings in the theoretical and empirical literature. Second, in light of the potential for overlap between processes for adaptation and processes for technologies for adaptation, there is a need for coordination and exchange of information between the work under the Cancún Adaptation Framework and under the Technology Mechanism of the UNFCCC.Policy relevanceThe international processes and mechanisms for enhancing adaptation and technologies for adaptation have been scaled up. New opportunities have been established and include National Adaptation Plans, Technology Needs Assessments and the Climate Technology Centre and Network. The increasing policy priority to adaptation and to the role of technology development and transfer in adaptation poses new challenges for policy and decision makers. By providing an overview of key findings in the literature that are of particular relevance for policy and decision making at national and subnational levels, this commentary begins to inform policy makers on central aspects for ensuring the appropriateness and effectiveness of decisions on technology development and transfer in the context of adaptation.Keywords: adaptationadaptive capacityclimate change policiesdevelopmenttechnology transfer
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1988 to provide an authoritative assessment of the state of knowledge of climate change science and impacts and to develop realistic strategies for management of the climate change issue. Following the establishment of a separate United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Framework Convention on Climate Change and the subsequent signing and entry into force of the Convention, the IPCC reverted to the role of providing policy-neutral but policy-relevant assessments of the contemporary state of knowledge, as contained in the published literature, of the science, impacts and response options for climate change. Australian Government representatives and Australian climate scientists played a major part in the establishment of the IPCC and its operation over the past twenty years including key roles in the preparation of virtually all of its reports. Australia chaired the committee which proposed the structure and membership of the initial IPCC Working Groups, served as Vice-Chair of the Impacts Working Group for the IPCC's First Assessment Report, engaged more national experts in the review of its first assessment of the science of climate change than any other country except the US, has provided almost one hundred Lead Authors and several hundred reviewers for its four major assessments and has served continuously on its coordinating Bureau since its inception. Australian delegations have participated in every formal intergovernmental session of the Panel and its Working Groups and have made a significant contribution to the scientific integrity of the IPCC assessment process.
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