Governments are currently negotiating the elements of a new climate change agreement to be adopted at the forthcoming COP 21 conference in Paris in 2015. The aim of this paper is to take stock of existing UNFCCC institutions and arrangements and the inter-linkages between them in the areas of...

Multifaceted, intersectional issues, such as those dealing with climate change, require a mechanism for policy integration. To overcome interministerial conflict over the issue of climate change, Japan, on instruction from the Prime Minister, established the Joint Conference on Relevant Advisory...

For many private sector actors, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), it remains challenging to understand how the impacts of climate change may influence their business profitability and continuity over time, and how they can manage climate risks. This working paper...

There is widespread recognition that climate finance needs to be scaled up from its current levels. However, there is no clear view on how developed countries can efficiently and effectively mobilise further climate finance to meet the needs of developing countries. Developed countries have...

Shifting public and private investment from “brown” to “green” is an essential part of climate change. The post-2020 climate agreement to be agreed at COP 21 in December 2015 has the potential to play a significant role in signalling the importance of such a shift. This paper explores...

The Paris Agreement, adopted by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), reinforces the international framework for adaptation action by establishing a global adaptation goal. Under the Paris Agreement, countries have also agreed to an enhanced...

Mountainous areas are at the forefront of climate change. This working paper presents approaches to strengthening the resilience of human and natural systems in mountainous areas against the impacts of climate change. Chapter 1 provides an overview of climate-related hazards to ecosystems and...

The “energy, water and land use nexus” approach has been attracting attention of policy makers, development practitioners and academia in Central Asia as a tool to facilitate regional and cross-sectoral co-operation for climate action and resource security. However, further work is still...

The importance of cities in climate policy stems from the simple reality that they house the majority of the world’s population, two-thirds of world energy use and over 70% of global energy use emissions. At the international level, global carbon markets have become an important new source of...

Tackling the problem of global climate change requires a high level of international cooperation. Many countries have pledged targets or actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Appendices to the Copenhagen Accord. This analysis examines the costs and effectiveness of these pledges,...