The way that mountain deforestation and mountain region ecosystem degradation is impacting upon climate change is often overlooked. Climatologists and microbiologists have demonstrated, that the relationship between plants, forests, biodiversity and global atmospherics are not simply a one-way affair.

1111_1957_Climate Change is Exacerbated by Mountain Deforestation.pdf

World Environment Day is held annually on June 5th under UN auspices to highlight a particular area of environmental concern. The focus this year is on the unique challenges facing the world’s small islands in their battle with rising ocean levels – a far cry, it might seem, from the work of the High Atlas Foundation in Morocco.

However, two vital messages can be gleaned from our involvement in sustainable development: firstly that diverse systems – ecological and social – are interconnected and ultimately interdependent and secondly, that knowledge applied in one type of environment can - and should - be translated into other situations.

1111_2919_World Environment Day.pdf

FINAL VERSION!

This paper presents four potential options for integrating climate change into the sustainable development goals (SDGs), outlining their respective advantages and disadvantages. The first option explores mainstreaming climate change across all relevant SDGs. Options two to four present different versions of a climate change goal, intended to complement the mainstreaming approach. They include: a ‘plus climate change’ goal that combines climate change with a related topic; a climate change goal with targets based on existing UNFCCC agreements; and lastly a climate change goal with targets based on current scientific recommendations.

This paper does not propose a complete set of goals for the post-2015 framework but provides a comprehensive overview of approaches to addressing climate change through the post-2015 framework. It is also beyond the remit of this paper to answer questions on technology development and transfer, climate finance and financing for sustainable development. However, an outstanding task for interested parties is to equip climate-related goals and targets with appropriate, qualitative and quantitative indicators suitable for national contexts according to common but differentiated responsibilities.

This paper as well as the discussion paper on doubling climate ambitions is the latest contribution to a series of discussion papers produced by environment and development organizations with the support of Beyond 2015 and CAN-International, the two major global NGO networks on post-2015 and climate change.

1111_654_options on climate change FINAL.pdf

The OWG has begun to engage in detailed consideration of individual goals and targets. At this important moment however CIDSE believes a number of over-arching issues must be taken into account if this work, and the outcome framework, are to deliver and respond to the considerable task it has been entrusted with. This paper contains a set of recommendations to the OWG incl. on climate change.

1111_3563_CIDSE OWG stock take and recommendations April 2014 Final.pdf

This paper argues that the Post-2015 and UNFCCC processes should be seen as complementary processes that can reinforce each other to raise the necessary ambition for climate action, rather than unrelated, completely separate or competing. The methods of implementation through national development plans and the forms of necessary financing make the need for coordination a political reality.

1111_654_Doubling Climate Ambition FINAL DRAFT.pdf

While there is general agreement that addressing climate change is a pre-requisite for ending poverty and sustainable development, there is less clarity on how it should be included within the goals and targets that will form the post-2015 framework. This paper presents four potential options for integrating climate change into the sustainable development goals (SDGs), outlining their respective advantages and disadvantages.

The first option explores mainstreaming climate change across all relevant SDGs. Options two to four present different versions of a climate change goal, intended to complement the mainstreaming approach. They include:a ‘plus climate change’ goal that combines climate change with a related topic; a climate change goal with targets based on existing UNFCCC agreements; and lastly a climate change goal with targets based on current scientific recommendations.

This paper does not propose a complete set of goals for the post-2015 framework but provides a comprehensive overview of approaches to addressing climate change through the post-2015 framework. It is also beyond the remit of this paper to answer questions on technology development and transfer, climate finance and financing for sustainable development. However, an outstanding task for interested parties is to equip climate-related goals and targets with appropriate, qualitative and quantitative indicators suitable for national contexts
according to common but differentiated responsibilities.

Both this paper and ‘Doubling Climate Ambition: how the post-2015 and UNFCCC processes complement each other’ are part of a series of discussion papers produced by environment and development organizations with the support of Beyond 2015 and CAN-International, two major global NGO networks on post-2015 and climate change.

1111_654_options on climate change in post2015.pdf

Stakeholder Forum has produced a 'Summary of targets from proposals in the SDGs e-Inventory under the OWG’s 19 Focus Areas'. A section is devoted to targets and indicators related to climate change.

Summary of targets from proposals in the SDGs e-Inventory under the OWG’s 19 Focus Areas
Putting stakeholders at the core of post-Rio+20 processes

carbonn Cities Climate Registry (cCCR) was launched at the World Mayors Summit on Climate in Mexico City on 21 November 2010, as the global response of local governments to measurable, reportable and verifiable climate action.

As of October 2013, 414 cities and local authorities, with a population of 438 million people in 45 countries, representing 1/7 of global urban population, reported more than 836 climate reduction and energy (renewable/efficiency) commitments, 4,208 mitigation and adaptation actions and 770 greenhouse gas inventories covering municipal operations and community activities that aggregate to an annual GHG emissions of 2.2 Giga tons of CO2 equivalent.

In 2012-2013, total number of reporting cities increased by 82% a result of synergies through 3 main processes; voluntary reporting pursuant to political commitments (i.e. signatories of Mexico City Pact. Pursuant to its Art.4), capacity building at the national level (e.g. Japan Registry, PACMUN Project in Mexico and Urban-LEDS Project in Brazil, India, Indonesia, S. Africa), and creating incentives (i.e. WWF Earth Hour City Challenge implemented in 15 countries).

The data compiled under the cCCR prove that the immense ambition and implementation potential at the local level can be rapidly mobilized if the global climate community engages appropriately and scales up direct technical and financial support.

1111_351_cCCR_November2013_widepage.pdf

The Nantes Declaration of Mayors and Subnational Leaders on Climate Change was adopted with the support of over 50 mayors from 30 countries, and more than 20 national, regional and global networks of local and subnational governments.

Adoption of the Declaration marks the start of a new phase for the Local Government Climate Roadmap, an advocacy process aimed at recognising, engaging and empowering local governments within the global climate regime.

Art.5 urge national governments to ensure synergies of climate agenda with other multilateral processes including the Sustainable Development Goals negotiations and high level political forum, the Hyogo Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction Phase-2-2015, HABITATIII – 2016, and the Nagoya 10-Year Plan of Action for Biodiversity.

1111_351_WorldMayorsSummit2013_Nantes_EN_Declaration_only Copy.pdf

In May 2013 carbon concentration reached 400 parts per million (ppm) at observatory in Hawaii. Global carbon concentration is supposed to reach 400 ppm soon. It was 315 ppm in 1958, 375 ppm in 2000 (UNEP, 2012). While it increased by 60 ppm in 42 years till 2000, in the last decade it rose by 25 ppm. The reasons are easy to understand. The global emission was 40 gigatonnes(GT) of carbon dioxide (CO2) e in 2000, which rose to 50 GT of CO2 in 2011, rising by 25 percent in ten years! The current emission levels need to be brought down to 44 GT of CO2 by 2020, to contain a rise in temperature below 2 degrees.

Against this rapid increase in climate change, global efforts have been lackluster. In the business as usual scenario, the total emissions in 2020 will be 58 GT. Based on the pledges that have been made by the countries in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , and the Kyoto Protocol in the best case scenario the emissions in 2020 will be 52 GT, in the worst case scenario (low ambition levels) it will be 57 GT. This is only 1 GT less than business as usual (BAU) scenario and far above the threshold limit of 44 GT. Obviously, this is not enough to keep the rise in temperature below 2 degrees Celsius. This calls for wartime efforts to reduce the emissions.

1111_1497_OWG submission on CC & DRR.pdf

One of the greatest challenges faced by mankind is anthropogenic climate change, particularly global warming. Its ecologic and economic consequences on humans and nature can hardly be predicted. To date, climatic changes have not only threatened biodiversity and ecosystems, but are also linked to increasing natural disasters and a rise in sea levels. This makes it harder to predict developments and measures to adapt to climate change become inevitable. While climate debates must be solved within the respective UN bodies, the Post-2015-Agenda must also include climate change.
We call for
 Compliance with the 1.5⁰C/ 2⁰C threshold above the pre-industrial value, taking into account historic emissions and the associated responsibility, by guiding development in such a manner that it does not promote climate change any further and aims at reducing greenhouse gases in the long term.

1111_1076_The Ecological Dimension in the Post-2015 Agenda_German NGO Forum on Environment and Development.pdf

This paper is the latest instalment in the series of discussion papers on integrating climate change in the post-2015 framework. The purpose of this paper is to describe different options for including climate change in the post-2015 framework, and to facilitate a more informed and constructive debate by providing suggestions for possible target areas. A series of approaches to addressing climate change are discussed, including a „light touch‟ or narrative-only approach in option 0; mainstreaming climate change targets to make all relevant goals „climate-smart‟ in option 1; and three potential options for a ‟stand-alone‟ climate goal in options 2-4. None of these approaches are mutually exclusive. A truly committed post-2015 development framework would do all of these things. However, recognising the political nature of this process, we highlight the benefits and trade-offs associated with each to help informed decision-making.

The paper will be presented and discussed at the OWG on SDGs session in January 2014 in New York. It builds on two papers presented during a workshop in October in London and the OWG on SDGs meeting in November 2013 (accessible below) They have been put together by a group of development and environment organisations with the support of Beyond 2015 and CAN-International, two major global NGO networks involved in this agenda.

1111_654_Options for Climate change in post2015 discussion paper.pdf

Lifelong Learning (LLL) ensure women, who often have unequal access to information, to build skills to address natural disaster. LLL facilitate the development and use of adaptation technologies as those who can help communities build resilience and manage disasters and risks. They better prepare women and girls to participate in mitigation and adaptation activities as well as articulate their needs.

1111_1083_Gender Climate Change and Life Long learning.docx

Disaster and resilience as well as the impact of climate change on sustainable development were insufficiently included in the Millennium Declaration and absent from the MDGs despite the important impact they have on development and wellbeing of people. During the last decade, an increasing number of studies have drawn attention to the fact that climate change and competition for natural resources are increasing the risk of natural disasters as well as conflicts. While the economic losses of disasters amount to up to one trillion dollars, the funds invested in disaster risk reduction and conflict prevention are estimated at merely 5% of the global funding for emergency response and recovery. During the post-2015 consultation process, an increased emphasis on climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR) has become evident and it is crucial that these issues are addressed in the post-2015 sustainable development goals and framework.

For further information contact:
Valerie Scherrer, Director of CBM Emergency Response Unit
www.cbm.org
valerie.scherrer@cbm.org

1111_4018_CBM Thematic brief DRR and climate change_Post-2015 SDG.pdf

Publication from the Green Alliance, Christian Aid, Greenpeace, RSPB and WWF, outlining four 'tests' for a post-2015 development agenda which will ensure new goals take account of climate change and environmental challenges.

1111_972_Eradicating poverty through environmentally resilient development March 2013.pdf

The recommendations on sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and climate change mitigation presented here have been compiled from four civil society consultations conducted by UN-NGLS from 2012-2013: a teleconference-based consultation that resulted in the report Advancing Regional Recommendations on the Post-2015 Agenda; an online consultation on four post-2015 reports to the Secretary-General; an online consultation for the High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Agenda; and a teleconference and meeting-based consultation on the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. A list of organizations that participated in these consultations is available here. Recommendations regarding climate change financing will not be addressed in this brief as the Co-Chairs of the OWG on SDGs have specified that discussions regarding sustainable development financing for the post-2015 development agenda will be handled by the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF). Readers may find civil society recommendations for climate change financing conveyed through UN-NGLS’s consultation for the High-level Group on Climate Change Financing at http://bit.ly/AGFconsultation.

1111_3099_UN-NGLS Policy Brief for OWG on SDGs-ClimateChangeSCP-Jan 2013.pdf

This briefing highlights key recommendations on disaster risk reduction and climate change aimed at realizing Save the Children's vision of societies that are resilient to the impacts of disasters and protected from climate change and its impacts by 2030. In Save the Children's Ending Poverty In Our Generation report, a ten-goal framework is proposed which includes goals and targets to:

• improve national disaster and risk management planning and risk reduction initiatives, focusing on building the resilience of vulnerable populations including children to sudden and slow-onset disasters;
• reduce economic and human losses from disasters;
• rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce vulnerability to climate change; and
• improve child protection at all times including during times of disaster and conflict.

1111_3319_Save_the_Children_Briefing_OWG_7.pdf

Climate change policies, goals and targets need to address the different impacts, priorities and roles of women and men.

1111_340_WMG Brief Climate Change English Final.pdf

BY GORDON MCGRANAHAN, DEBORAH BALK and BRIDGET ANDERSON
ENVIRONMENT & URBANIZATION

1111_934_McGranahan2007.pdf

In the rural and poor urban areas Women and men are continually modifying their practices to naturally-varying climate conditions according to their specific needs, knowledge and access to resources, BUT limited attention has been given to the differences between men and women within at-risk populations
International Council for Adult Education
Gender office

1111_1083_Life Long Learning INTEGRATING GENDER ISSUES into Climate Change.doc

Addressing climate change and improving energy access through a transition to sustainable energy generation will require a massive scaling up of renewable energy production. International trade will be crucial to this scaling-up process. This paper summarises the findings of research by the ICTSD into policies relevant to the transition to sustainable energy.

1111_1953_ICTSD Input paper - Climate Change.pdf

The attached Concept Note emphasizes the importance of integrating the UNFCCC and the Post-2015 Development Agenda processes in order to achieve coherence – the systematic promotion of mutually reinforcing policies – in global climate policy.

1111_3533_Concept Note #2.pdf

With the emergence of the post-2015 development agenda and SDG processes, the world is at, or is fast approaching, an inflection point in global development. The time may now be ripe for a fresh approach in global climate policy, to break through the impasses and deadlocks in international climate negotiations. With a view towards that end, the attached contains a proposal for the convergence and integration of the UNFCCC and post-2015 development agenda/SDG processes.

1111_3533_Convergence of UNFCCC and SDG processes.pdf

This paper has been prepared to inform the discussions of a workshop organizsed by CAFOD, WWF UK with the support of CAN-I and Beyond 2015 on the options for including climate change in the post-2015 framework.

1111_654_Post 2015 climate change stand alone goal discussion paper.pdf

Describe content...

1111_654_CC crosscutting post 2015 framework discussion paper.pdf

This paper gives an overview of the interrelationship of climate change, sustainable development and disability. It highlights some of the challenges of this interrelationship for policy makers, research communities and development organisations. It also provides essential evidence for people advocating for high quality, inclusive outcomes relating to deliberations on sustainable development and climate change. It is useful for people working in policy, training, advocacy, project design, proposal writing, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and research.
Issues of disability, poverty and environmental sustainability are inextricably linked. There are an estimated one billion persons with disabilities worldwide . Persons with disabilities are particularly at risk from the effects of climate change, such as natural disasters and food insecurity. In order to be effective, any framework or action plan in relation to sustainable development and climate change must incorporate disability-inclusive development principles. CBM welcomes the explicit references to persons with disabilities in the final outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 , and supports ongoing efforts to ensure policy is translated into practice.

1111_1338_Sustainable_development_post-MDG_consultation_final.docx

By the end of 2015, the United Nations will adopt a new global development agenda as a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). To this end, UN member states are now engaged in a debate on defining universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as decided by the 2012 Rio+20 Summit. According to the final declaration of that summit, these goals should “address and incorporate in a balanced way all three dimensions of sustainable development and their interlinkages” and should “be coherent with and integrated into the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015” (§ 246).
This wording can be interpreted to mean that there is an agreed effort to build upon the MDGs in drafting the SDGs – that these are sequential and nested steps, not parallel processes, which will culminate in a global agenda for sustainable development by the end of 2015. But the SDGs have one key feature distinguishing them from the MDGs: they will be universal in nature, providing guidance for related domestic policies of all UN member states. This is an important departure from the MDGs, which set quantified and time-bound policy goals for developing countries, and included industrialised nations in a supporting role through development assistance.
The SDG vision – with the potential to reduce barriers both among countries and among sectors – is a logical and needed step. Yet there are many political and institutional obstacles to ensuring an integrated set of goals: transitioning to SDGs will require a change of perspective by negotiators, who must bridge the gap between conventional approaches to economic development and poverty reduction on the one hand, and to environmental sustainability on the other. And it will require a whole-ofgovernment approach, instead of being the exclusive remit of ministries of environment and/or development cooperation.
Several lines of thought favour an integrated set of goals. The idea that environmental concerns can be subordinated to economic growth disregards the fact that our society and economy are bound by a natural biophysical system that sustains life on earth. But human society and nature operate on different time scales: while solutions to human suffering are required now, environmental policies must address the long-term effects of today’s economic actions. The welfare of people today is important, but the welfare of future generations matters too: their fates are intertwined.
A universal set of SDGs can address the difficulties of global and intergenerational burden sharing. Negotiators should not shy away from the complexity this implies, as oversimplified goals will not be fit to the task at hand. The most challenging and important task will be to translate the adopted universal goals into quantified and timebound domestic goals at the country level. Rich countries will have to support developing countries in implementing domestic policies, while rising powers should volunteer to do so, too.

1111_829_Post-2015_DIE_BP 4.2013.pdf