Network of Regional Governements
for Sustainable Development
for Sustainable Development
Successfully addressing the climate change challenge will only be achieved, and sustained, through involvement and commitment at all levels of decision-making. In particular, sub-national authorities (regions, provinces, states or municipalities) have a key role to play in actively incorporating climate change considerations in day-to-day business and in introducing climate-friendly policies, regulations and investment decisions at their level, as a direct outreach to the public
United Nations Development Programme
What is the challenge ahead of us? - One commong goal, lots of global actors and actions - nrg4SD action and partnerships on behalf of its members - nrg4SD Position and Advocay Papers - nrg4SD Technical Papers - Workshops, seminars and other events - What's coming up?
What is the challenge ahead of us?
Climate change is one of the main challenges humankind is facing. The changes that our planet has undergone throughout its history are a result of natural factors like tiny changes in the Earth's path around the sun, volcanic activity and fluctuations within the climate system. However, humans are having an increasing influence on our climate by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock.
Rising sea levels, increasing precipitations and floods, desertification and droughts are some of the consequences of climate change currently experienced across the planet. Depletion of natural resources, permanent modification of habitats, climate induced migration, food security and increased poverty gaps particularly are some of key issues related to climate change.
According to scientists, a temperature increase of more than 2°C above the pre-industrial temperature in the next decades will have a serious and irreversible impact on the world economy and societies. That is just 1.2°C above today's level.
To stay within this ceiling, our societies have to halt the rising trend in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions before 2020, at least halve global emissions by the middle of this century and continue cutting them thereafter
One common goal, lots of global actors and actions
Most countries have joined an international treaty - the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was adopted at the 1992 'Rio Earth Summit' - to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable. In 1997, a number of nations approved an addition to the treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which provides more powerful (and legally binding) measures, targets and mechanisms aiming to commit States, in their capacity of signatory parties, to reduce their GHG emissions.
The global action to tackle climate change is twofold: on the one hand, mitigation policies are implemented to cut GHG emissions generated by human activities and to prevent further temperature increase; on the other hand, territories should be prepared to the impacts of climate change through adaptation policies, such as risk reduction and prevention strategies as well as resilience strengthening activities.
The European Union (EU) is one of the leading actors in tackling climate change. The Kyoto Protocol requires the 15 countries that were EU members at the time ('EU-15') to reduce their collective emissions in the 2008-2012 period to 8% below 1990 levels. Emissions monitoring and projections show that the EU-15 is well on track to meet this target. The EU’s commitment to reduce GHG emissions is addressed by the 2020 targets and the recently released ‘Roadmap towards a low-carbon economy in 2050’, which illustrate its effort to cut emissions by 20% in 2020 and by 80% in 2050 compared to 1990 levels. This GHG emissions reduction will be possible in a first stage through an increase of renewable energies up to 20% of the EU overall energy consumption and a 20% growth in terms energy efficiency by 2020. The EU has also offered to increase its emissions reduction to 30% by 2020, on condition that other major emitting countries in the developed and developing worlds commit to do their fair share under a future global climate agreement. The EU advocates that this agreement should take effect at the start of 2013 when the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period will have expired.
The Cancún Agreements – adopted at the 16th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 16) that took place in Mexico in December 2010 - represent an important step on the road to building a comprehensive and legally binding framework for climate action for the period after 2012. The eyes and efforts of the international community are now set in COP 17 which is taking place in Durban, South Africa, at the end of this year.
Subnational governments are particularly well placed for identifying the needs and the strengths of their societies in their climate action, and they are often responsible for the elaboration and implementation of policy, legislation, fiscal mechanisms and public investments plans in several areas - such as transport, energy, the environment, agriculture, forestry, industry, spatial planning, resource management, technology development and transfer, civil protection or development cooperation - that directly influence GHG emissions levels and deal with the impacts of climate change.
Subnational governments from all over the world have demonstrated in a number of ways that their contribution and leadership is essential to help achieve the ultimate objectives of the UNFCCC since, according to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 50% to 80% of adaptation and mitigation actions necessary to tackle climate change are or will be implemented at the subnational or local level of governance.
Subnational governments are determined to address the issues of climate change and the economic difficulties many of them are facing by turning these challenges into an opportunity to move towards greener, smarter and more inclusive societies.
In the last years, subnational governments have concretely shown that they take their climate change responsibilities very seriously. In fact, their accomplishments in this area have grown tremendously in sophistication, effectiveness and importance. The important lessons being learned at the subnational level can often feed into and improve national policy and shape more ambitious and innovative responses to climate change.
nrg4SD action and partnerships on behalf of its members
Thanks to its direct work with the UNFCCC and the EU, nrg4SD represents its member subnational governments directly at international negotiations by:
nrg4SD's partnerships on behalf of its members
Through the years nrg4SD has likewise established privileged partnerships with other organisations representing local governments, such as ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and United Cities and Local Government UCLG, as well as the private sector, such as The °Cimate Group. nrg4SD collaborates regularly with its partners to maximise the recognition and visibility of subnational initiatives on climate change. Another key partnership over the past years has taken nrg4SD and several of its members to work directly with a series of United Nations agencies in the Territorial Approach to Climate Change TACC programme. Through TACC several developed subnational governments are assisting subnational governments from developping regions on:
nrg4SD Working Groups
nrg4SD keeps a permanent Advocacy Task Force on International Climate Change Negotiations and has launched in 2011 a Technical Working Group on Financing Climate Action. The latter seeks to create capacity on carbon finance mechanisms among its member in order to enable them to set their own plans and tools, and shapes nrg4SD’s advocacy work towards the territorial dimension of international carbon finance mechanisms. More information about nrg4SD's Financing Climate Action Working Group >
nrg4SD at UNFCCC COP17
From 28 November - 9 December, nrg4SD actively participated at UNFCCC COP17 - More information on nrg4SD's activities and documents at UNFCCC COP17 available here >
The nrg4SD delegation list for UNFCCC COP17 is available here
Photos of the nrg4SD activities at UNFCCC COP17 are available on Flickr >
In December 2010 nrg4SD participated at UNFCCC COP16 in Cancun, Mexico - More information on nrg4SD's activities at UNFCCC COP16 in Cancun, Mexico is available here >
UNFCCC COP17
Technical Papers
General papers
Documents relevant to UNFCCC COPs
Documents relevant to the Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC)
Workshops, seminars and other events
28 November - 9 December 2011, Durban, South Africa - nrg4SD at UNFCCC COP17
20-21 October 2011, Lyon, France – European Conference of Regions on Climate Action, co-organised by nrg4SD, The Climate Group and Rhone Alpes
12 October 2011, Brussels, Belgium - nrg4SD Financing Climate Action Working Group technical meeting
29-31 August 2011, Quebec City, Canada - Meeting of nrg4SD's Financing Climate Action Working Group and Advocacy Task Force on International Climate Change Negotiations on the occasion of nrg4SD's Annual General Assembly meeting.
29 June 2011, Lille, France - Climact Regions seminar - nrg4SD invited to speak
8 June 2011, Bonn, Germany - 'Wallonia-Africa partnership in the framework of the Fast Start financing scheme for climate change action'
7 June 2011, Bonn, Germany - nrg4SD Financing Climate Action Working Group 2nd technical meeting
6-17 June 2011, Bonn, Germany - nrg4SD participates in UNFCCC talks as part of the UNFCCC Major Group for Local Government and Municipal Authorities.
3-5 June 2011, Bonn, Germany - Resilient Cities 2011 - nrg4SD endorsing partner
1-3 June 2011, Barcelona, Spain - Carbon Expo - 'Green Technologies for the Clean Revolution': Event organised by nrg4SD Co-Chair for the North, Government of Catalonia, and its Climate Change Agency jointly with The °Climate Group.
25 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium - nrg4SD European event 'Cancun -30: Regions delivering climate action'
December 2010, Cancun, Mexico - nrg4SD at UNFCCC COP 16
What’s coming up?
25-29 March 2012, London, UK -Planet Under Pressure Conference
18 – 19 April, Liège, Belgium - Biomedica, the European Life Sciences Summit
12 – 15 May 2012, Bonn Germany - Resilient Cities 2012 3rd Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation, organised by ICLEI
14 - 25 May 2012, Bonn, Germany - Meeting of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies in preparation for COP18 - nrg4SD participating
22-25 May 2012, Brussels, Belgium - EU Green Week
5 June 2012, World Environment Day
17-18 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - nrg4SD General Assemby and 10th anniversary
19 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - nrg4SD World Summit of Federated States and Regions
20 - 22 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - UN Sustainable Development Conference Rio +20
