The document discusses challenges and opportunities for developing international strategies to address climate change. It notes a lack of binding limits, low investment in climate projects, and no real cooperation between countries to reduce emissions. While equity, climate impacts, and development need to be balanced, developed countries disproportionately contribute to emissions historically. Collective global action is needed, but countries differ in their perspectives based on development status and responsibilities. Hybrid approaches that consider equity and capacity could include absolute reductions in the North and low-carbon development trajectories in the South.

1. Henry Sichel, Angela de Michele
Environment and development
Wirtschaftuniversitaet - Wien

2. • Binding international limits;
• Carbon market; 
• Encouraged national strategies
• + 25% CO2
• Only 2.5 bll/$ invested in climate projects 
• No real cooperation among countries

3. «We should reconsider trajectories of industrialization and unravel the ties that
bound development to carbon»
• Equity;
open issues • Climate; Trade off? Blocks
• Social/economic development

4. «Developed countries For 20 years climate
disproportionately change has been an
occupy the «available environmental
space»» problem
Per capita / The solution: global collective
Historical emissions’ paths action (North AND South)

5. • «Newly industrializing countries are already large emitters and will
North increase in the future»
• Absolute reductions could lock inequality in perpetuity;
South • Developed world increased its emissions while on the developing
countries were doing the same
responsibility
Right to develop, not to
emit
capacity
Hybrid
approaches Low carbon
trajectories in the
Sustainable South
development policy
Absolute reduction in
the North

6. To make South believe
that we are not
displacing responsibility
onto them:
Early North’s action
… hypotetical band
of long-term per Equity
capita emissions?
Pluralism

7. Built on the
Now implies
assumption of adjustment costs
costless carbon…
Opportunities
• Institutions • Ozone
• Markets • Acid rains
• technologies

8. These opportunities are not matched
by concrete actions up to now
Not that
easy
issue…! Burden sharing in public
Free-riding
behaviours
Exploitation of
opportunities in private
Costituencies in a
low-carbon future
…but to start is
important!
Process of
Pull-effect experimentation

9. Implications for
Global Useful for
< 2 C° - 50% developing countries
goal commitment
(implicit cap)

10. Economic
incentives
Formal rules
Development Institutional of the game can Institutional
lens inertia shape transformation
Informal norms
Technological
innovations
Development is a process of change, driven from below
Path-dependence = common patterns not so useful
This applies also to developed countries

11. Low-carbon burocracy
development
companies
Long-term We should internalize
the object in the
process development process
civil society
No targets
and citizens
timetables

12. Short-term • Implementation with
policies minimal adjustments
No top – down
planning
Long-term No prediction
• Development through
processes climate lenses

13. • Prioritize
predictability
• Setting of
North objectives for
Short- 2020 – 2030
term • To provide the
track
+
Long-
term • Enjoy the «best
South practices»
• Energy saving (e.g.)

15. North financing South
How How to How to
much? control? monitor?

16. • Set a target to climate mitigation
or adaptation
North • Limit role for public funds,
encouraging market mechanisms
Points of
view • «we should be paid to
help us solving a
South problem we didn’t
contribute to create»
Responsibility
• North is more responsible, but it is politically difficult to lend
money without control
Conditionality
• Bypassing democracy to enhance hard reforms = loans for
«ownership» of projects

17. From To
Organizing funds around a process
Implementing actions
to encourage the recipient-country
determined by donors
to develop its own agenda
Low-carbon Mitigation actions
development (e.g. energy saving)

18. The best hypotesis: different mitigation tracks
Developing
Developed countries
countries
Policy based actions,
Fixed emission targets centered on activities
instead of emissions
Policy spillovers:
Certainty Flexibility e.g., increase in energy
affordability

19. Cross-cutting
to disseminate
technologies
Adaptation Accountability
assistence plan measures
The best
hypotesis
«Efficiency losses can be a
reasonable trade-off to achieve
participation»

20. Many developing Which indirectly undertake the
countries purpose of emissions’ reductions
Developing
policies
Developing countries can contribute in a consistent way through their
development objectives
Policies and plans tailored on internal facts and needs
Multiplier of effects coming from the support of developed countries
Not binding targets

21. I Processes
Legal character
Links to provide incentives
Accountability standards

22. The importance of
emphasizing our Is this embedded in the
policies and make them process?
accepted
Indeed, this could
Or an outcome of the reduce every barrier in
process itself? negotiation between
North and South
Tool-box of proposed
…with simulations of
policies for developing
impact
countries…

23. «Nationally
Developed
appropriate mitigation countries
COMMITMENTS or
Bali actions»
Action
«Nationally
Plan appropriate mitigation Developing
countries
actions»

24. or
• Initiate a
review by a
• Actions • A country third designed
may indicate body
it…
Flow of To evaluate the
support need of support
Robust EFFORTS can be obtained only
with such international support

25. Only minimal
Now
communications
Bali:
Measurable, What actions should
Reportable, be measured?
Verifiable
Rigorous Who is performing
Future verification?
approach
What kind of
metrics?

26. CAPACITY to implement: developing
countries need international support
Support will require 1
mechanisms to channel
resources and leverage
private investments 2

27. Unpredictable and
Now Pledging
inadequate funds
Public
finance
Loans/guarantees/access to
In all new
Future technologies and payment for
funds
intellectual property

28. Kyoto: CDM system, based on emission credits from individual
projects, but by this way excluding many other effective strategies

29. • to enhance resilience;
• to discourage high-emission
investments

30. Long-term plans
to set risks
Supportive comprehensive Needed
I national adaptation NAPA adaptation
strategies capacities
National policies
Guidance and help in
Exchanging best practices
accessing technologies
II
Support
international/national/ Regional centers of
excellence
regional systems

31. Donors
Funds to help countries in implementing
III CDM
high-priority projects
Taxes