Current developments in pilot nationally appropriate mitigation actions of developing countries (NAMAs)

Abstract

Summary To achieve the global emission reductions that are necessary to reach the 2°C target, increased efforts are necessary not only in developed countries but also in developing countries. Expectations are high that the newly evolving mechanism of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) will enable large-scale emission reductions in developing countries. Even though modalities and procedures for NAMAs are still evolving, a number of developing countries and consultants are developing concrete actions and policies with the aim of gaining financial, technological and capacity-building support from industrialised countries. This paper analyses current developments in 16 pilot NAMAs. The two main questions are: how far developed are the NAMAs in question and will NAMAs fulfil the expectations of reducing emissions in developing countries on a large scale? The 16 NAMAs analysed showcase that we are still in a very early stage of development of this new policy instrument. They are quite different with respect to their level of elaboration ‐ from mere sketches to full-grown studies. Nevertheless, most of the NAMAs in fact do aim at a fundamental transformation of the sector(s) they address. This opens up the possibility to develop North-South cooperation at a strategic political level. Furthermore, the limited geographical concentration of the CDM is not replicated in the 16 NAMAs analysed: five are located in Peru, four in South Africa, two in Tunisia and one each in Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mexico, Serbia and Thailand. These countries account for 2% of all CERs issued so far. The imbalance in the CDM’s sectoral distribution is also not replicated in the NAMA pipeline so far: of the NAMAs analysed, three are in the transport and two in the building sector. The other NAMAs cover energy (4), the waste sector (3), industry (1) and forestry (1). The Indonesian and Serbian NAMAs include a broad range of sectors. The information in the proposals on expected GHG emission reductions, costs, barriers, risks, sustainability benefits as well as on MRVing are not detailed enough to allow for an assessment whether to fund or not to fund such a NAMA yet. However, one has to note that this was not the intention of all of the analysed proposals. Many are rather sketches aiming to launch a political process. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to agree on common templates for NAMAs in order to allow for international MRV of NAMAs that seek international support, which are the NAMAs in the focus of this paper. Beyond specific technical questions, setting up the MRV framework is a highly political process: how to MRV is a function of what purpose MRV is to achieve. International donors for NAMAs demand quantified emission reductions as a key indicator to be MRVed. However, the possibilities for MRVing emission reductions strongly depend on which sector is addressed; it bears noting that the limited success of the CDM in areas such as transport and end