This report outlines the strategies in place for the World Heritage City of Cartagena, Colombia to become an icon of climate compatible development, where the risk of climate change is converted into an opportunity for development.
The future of Cartagena is uncertain and vulnerable to climate change. Even a 2C increase in temperatures will likely raise sea levels in the area by 60cm by 2040. Further risks of drought, and increased rainfall have motivated action to prevent such events unfolding and hampering the future of its citizens.
The vision of Plan 4C is that by 2040, Cartagena de Indias will be recognised as a city that is a model of urban and coastal planning based on climate compatible development: where adaptation and mitigation measures will reduce indices of vulnerability to climate change, improve efficiency of public investment, the quality of life of its inhabitants and the competitiveness of its sectors.
The Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System has been initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme to advance design options that would deliver a step change in the financial system’s effectiveness in mobilizing capital towards a green and inclusive economy.
This paper has been produced by the Inquiry’s Secretariat as an invitation to engage in its activities. It also provides a background briefing on the case for linking the development of the financial system with green and inclusive policy objectives, highlights emerging innovation across the world, and offers a set of questions and themes to frame inputs and feedback to the Inquiry’s work. This paper is based on an initial mapping of existing efforts to align the rules that govern the financial system with a green and inclusive economy, as well as inputs from the Inquiry’s Advisory Council and dialogue with policymakers, financial institutions and civil society organisations.
This paper explores innovation in wind energy in Denmark and Germany. It examines the key features and similarities of, and differences in each country’s technological and organizational innovation paths and sheds light on their main determinants. It finds that common features have roots in similar social and political priorities and decisions at the national level. The differences, on the other hand, tend to have roots in geographical conditions and company-level technology choices.
In the end, the paper briefly addresses the increasing global interconnectedness of wind technology markets and the role of emerging new players, such as China and India.
Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a promising technology for low-carbon power generation. Thanks to abundant solar resources in the world’s sun belt and its ability to provide flexible and reliable power supply when combined with thermal storage, CSP could play an important role in maintaining a steady power supply in future low-carbon energy systems with high penetrations of fluctuating renewable power from solar photovoltaic and wind. With findings drawn from four case studies and background paper, this policy brief offers recommendations for international finance institutions (IFIs) and developing country policymakers on how to deploy concentrated solar power (CSP) while achieving cost reductions.
Electricity systems across the U.S. and Europe face significant challenges in the transition to low-carbon energy. While the transition provides plenty of opportunities for investors, businesses, and consumers alike, the current business and regulatory models of investor owned utilities (IOUs) and independent power producers (IPPs), which have mainly developed around competitive markets for fossil fuel generation, are particularly ill-suited to take advantage of these new opportunities. This paper outlines the some major challenges each business segment will face and sets out a roadmap for addressing the challenges.
This report outlines challenges and innovations arising around the world as communities and governments pursue an agenda of justice based on inclusive and sustainable use of natural resources and the environment. The paper highlights trends in strategies emerging across regions (Asia-Pacific, Arab States, Africa, and Latin America and Caribbean), including the integration of environmental principles in constitutions, as well as in national laws and regulations, and ensuring access to remedies through courts in environmental matters, such specialized tribunals. It also highlights how social mobilization and demands for social accountability for environmental justice utilize key legal empowerment strategies, such as paralegal support to raise legal awareness, monitor policies and programmes, promote engagement in legal and policy reform, as well as support public interest litigation.