Download The problem of a national communication

Adaptation under the
UNFCCC national
communications process/
linkages with AIACC
AIACC Latin America/Caribbean
Regional Workshop
27-30 May 2003
San Jose, Costa Rica
Martha Perdomo
UNFCCC secretariat
[email protected]
Outline
1. New guidelines
2. Information from initial national
communications
3. Relevance of AIACC to the second
national communication process
4. Opportunities and challenges for AIACC
and the national communication process
5. Second phase of AIACC
Summary of guidelines
Old guidelines (decision 10/CP.2)
New guidelines (decision 17/CP.8)
• Objectives
• National circumstances
• National circumstances
• Inventory of emissions/removals
• National GHG inventory
• General description of steps
• General description of steps
– programmes containing measures to
facilitate adequate adaptation
– programmes containing measures to
mitigate climate change
• Other information
• Other information
– transfer of technologies (4/CP.7)
– research and systematic observation
(5/CP.5)
– education, training and public awareness
(Article 6)
– capacity-building (2/CP.7)
– information and networking
• Financial and technological
needs and constraints
•Constraints and gaps
New guidelines (decision 17/CP.8)
• PART IV – GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF STEPS
TAKEN OR ENVISAGED TO IMPLEMENT THE
CONVENTION
Non-Annex I Parties “MAY provide information on
programmes containing measures to mitigate
climate change … and measures to facilitate
adequate adaptation to CC, following the
provisions of these guidelines”
Each Party SHALL provide information on
“programmes containing measures to facilitate
adequate adaptation to climes change.”
New guidelines (decision 17/CP.8)
(cont.)
NAI Parties “should provide
information on their vulnerability to
the adverse effects of climate
change, and on adaptation
measures …”
NAI Parties may use appropriate
methodologies they consider better
able to reflect their national
situation.
• References
– IPCC Technical Guidelines for Assessing
Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations
(Carter, T.R., M.L. Parry, H. Harasawa, S.
Nishioka 1994)
– UNEP Handbook on Methods for Climate
Change Impact Assessment and Adaptation
Strategies (Feenstra, J.F., I. Burton, J.B. Smith,
R.S.J. Tol 1998)
– International Handbook on Vulnerability and
Adaptation Assessments (Benioff, R., S. Guill, J.
Lee 1996)
– Compendium of Decision Tools to Evaluate
Strategies for Adaptation to Climate Change
which is available from the UNFCCC web site,
http://www.unfccc.int/issues/meth_tools.html
Reporting
• Scope, including identification of
most critical vulnerable areas
• Description of methodologies and
tools
• Evaluation of strategies and
measures for adapting in key areas
of the “highest priority”
• Policy framework, plans and
policies for developing and
implementing adaptation strategies
and measures
Reporting
(cont.)
• Research relating to programmes
containing measures to facilitate
adequate adaptation
• Capacity-building activities for
integrating adaptation to climate change
into medium and long-term planning
• Opportunities for the implementation of
adaptation measures, pilot and/or
demonstration adaptation projects,
including barriers
National communications submitted
by regions
Share of Parties in the regions that have submitted
100%
90%
80%
88%
(29/33)
70%
62%
62%
60%
(33/53)
(32/52)
(6/10)
Asia and
the Pacific
Africa
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Latin America
and the Caribbean
Regions
Europe
Example of information reported in
national communications
Costa
Rica
Tools
El
Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
GCMs
Magicc/
Scengen
SLR
DSSAT/
IBSNAT
CLIRUN
1
2
1
Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer/ International Benchmark Sites Network
for Agrotechnology Transfer
2
Climate-runoff model
Information from initial national
communications on vulnerability and
adaptations assessment
• Difficulties in applying the current
methodologies
• Limited information on extreme events
and their relation to CC
• Difficulties in dissociating impacts from
CC and from climate variability
• Limitations of climate change and socioeconomic scenarios
• Lack of impact models for some sectors
Information from initial national
communications …(cont.)
• Need for new tools for integrated
assessment, policy development and
decision support
• Need for assistance for disaster
preparedness
• Need for integration of adaptation in long
term planning
• Need for adaptation at a regional or subregional level
Relevance of AIACC to the second
national communication process
• To provide further understanding of the
impacts of climate change
• To introduce new approaches/methods/tools
• To enhance the linkages between scientists
and policy makers
• To highlight the vulnerabilities of developing
countries
• To analyze the best options for adaptation
• To build capacity
Opportunities and challenges for AIACC and
the national communication process
• Provide methodologies and models for
assessment of impacts and vulnerability
• Develop methods for identifying, evaluating
and prioritizing adaptation strategies
• Develop new methods/tools to facilitate
integrated assessments
• Propose pilot adaptation projects
• Dissemination of information
Second phase of AIACC
• Follow-up of the needs and gaps
identified in Initial National
Communications
• Follow-up of adaptation information in
INC
• Moving forward issues for the IPCC 4AR
Project focus for AIACC second phase?