Outline
Through summer and autumn 2022,ICCN working groups convened workshops to exchange expertise and experiences on delivering evidence-based policy advice on the roles of justice, fairness, and equity in effective adaptation efforts, as well as on complex policy issues with international dimensions: transport, trade instruments, traded biomass and consumption emissions. These five briefing notes summarise the approaches of member councils reflecting the diverse countries and domestic contexts represented by the ICCN.
Key messages
- Just Adaptation: Climate councils should consider aspects of justice in advice on climate adaptation planning to ensure local communities and those most impacted are afforded equal access to resources to co-design adaptation interventions. Past, current and future societal disadvantages should be considered alongside transnational impacts.
- International Transport: Emissions from international transport are managed at international level, but climate councils could help develop complementary processes to incorporate aviation and maritime emissions into national climate policies and emissions targets. Encouraging domestic support for innovation and infrastructure could enhance utilisation of zero- or low-emission fuels.
- Trade Instruments: Climate councils can support complementary processes for developing and monitoring WTO-compliant carbon-related trade instruments that maximise the effectiveness of emissions reduction policies, by preventing across-border carbon leakage to countries with weaker/absent policies.
- Traded Biomass and Deforestation: Consumption of forest risk commodities (e.g., palm oil and beef) drive deforestation and degradation. Climate councils can advise on policies to promote or require sustainable deforestation-free supply chains and reduce demand for high deforestation-risk products, to protect forest carbon stock and soil health.
- Consumption Emissions: Efforts by climate councils to encourage nations to set consumption-based emissions targets could increase climate ambition internationally as well as help to address demand. Councils could support governments to develop consumption-based emissions accounting and indicators to monitor targets.
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