Camda Insights: COVID-19 Impact on Camda (Apr 28, 2020)

Camda Insights: COVID-19 Impact on Camda (Apr 28, 2020)

Camda Insights supports the coordinated communication of the impact of states, regions, cities, businesses, and investors in global climate action. If you have an announcement or update you would like to share with the Camda community through this newsletter, please contact Roisin Gorman at RGorman@theclimategroup.org.

This iteration contains: – COVID-19 impact on Camda timeline – Methodology workstream updates from WRI – Announcements: Climate Policy journal article published, Economic Downturn and Climate Action Working Group, DIE and WRI hiring

COVID-19 Impact on Camda Timeline

As you are likely aware, the SB Intersessionals and COP26 events have both been postponed several months in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The SB Intersessionals are currently rescheduled to take place in October, and COP26 to a date in 2021 yet to be determined. With this and the impact of the crisis on non-state and subnational actors in mind we have made the decision to shift our Camda timeline for finalising the 2020 progress metrics accordingly. The initial intention was to present the final plans for tracking progress with the progress metrics at the Intersessionals this year, and subsequently launch the progress assessment report and upload new tracking data to the Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP) at COP26. We are still aiming to present the metrics at the Intersessionals, although with them being pushed back to October we now have more time to review and test the metrics, and to collect stakeholder feedback. The GCAP will then be updated with the metrics, and the assessment report ready for release by next spring ahead of COP26. We understand that many of the actors we work with are focussing their efforts on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. This extended timeline will allow more time for stakeholder input by those actors who are able to do so. We also intend to consult intermediaries for the actors like the climate action networks and partners that work closely with them and understand their needs to reduce the amount of time requested for input directly from actors. With that in mind, stakeholder consultations on the metrics are set to begin in July. We will be reviewing and testing the tracking metrics in the run-up to these, including running scenarios with data visualization. More information will be released as it is available.

Methodology Workstream Updates from WRI

Final Publication of the ICAT Non-State and Subnational Action Guide

Edits to the final designed version of the ICAT Non-State and Subnational Action Guide are being completed.  The official release of the complete ICAT series of guidance is scheduled for April 29 with plans for a launch webinar. A focused webinar on the Non-State and Subnational Action Guide is planned for June 3.  Further details about the webinars are forthcoming; please contact Beth Elliott (belliott@wri.org) for inquiries.

Advancing the Methodology for Aggregation of Non-state and Subnational Action

Two additional resources are being developed to complement the ICAT Non-State and Subnational Action Guide.  NewClimate Institute and WRI are developing an excel-based aggregation tool to support in-country assessments of non-state and subnational action.  This versatile tool will support users of the ICAT guide for multiple objectives and users will be able to conduct aggregation assessments in a step-wise approach and document their process.  In addition, WRI is undertaking further analysis of the different assumptions, options and approaches used under each step in the ICAT guide. The analysis will be captured in a complementary paper which will describe the rationale for different assumptions (e.g. data constraints, nature of targets, scope and objective of the study, etc.), and how different assumptions impact the level of uncertainty in the results. Stakeholders of the Camda community will be invited to review and share their views through open sessions which are currently being planned for later in 2020. For more information please contact Cynthia Elliott (celliott@wri.org).

Implementation of ICAT Guidance in Colombia

The Colombian government is taking steps to better account for territorial and private sector climate actions and integrate them into national planning. In collaboration with WRI, the Colombian Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development will oversee an in-country implementation of the ICAT Non-State and Subnational Action Guidance. The project will aim to a) better understand how territorial and private sector actions contribute to the Colombian NDC, and b) model scenarios of enhanced ambition by non-state and subnational actors to show the potential impact on a national target. The project and underlying analysis are scheduled to be completed by fall 2020 and will be carried out by WWF Colombia.

Announcements

2030 aggregation research article published in Climate Policy

We would like to congratulate NewClimate Institute, Yale-NUS College, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, German Development Institute, University of Oxford, and CDP on the recent publication of their research article on the aggregate impact in 2030 of commitments by individual non-state and subnational actors on GHG emissions in the journal Climate Policy. The article, titled ‘Beyond national climate action: the impact of region, city, and business commitments on global greenhouse gas emissions’, is available here.

Economic Downturn and Climate Action Working Group launched by ESG

The Earth System Governance Project and the German Development Institute (DIE) have established a working group to discuss and research the impacts and opportunities associated with the severe economic downturn following the COVID-19 outbreak. Working group participants have outlined initial research questions and will be using these to guide efforts to produce a variety of research, analytical, and policy products that will aim to guide and support sustainable recovery and disrupt carbon lock-in during economic rebuilding. If you would like to find out more, please contact Dr Sander Chan at sander.chan@die-gdi.de.

German Development Institute (DIE) and World Resources Institute are Hiring

Researcher in Non-state and Subnational Climate Action at DIE

The German Development Institute (DIE) is looking for a full-time Researcher in Non-state and Subnational Climate Action for their DIE Research Programme “Environmental Governance and Transformation to Sustainability”. The successful candidate will collect and analyse data on transnational climate initiatives, e.g. by applying regression models; pursue joint publications; and conduct research-based knowledge transfer in cooperation with the Galvanising the Groundswell of Climate Actions and Camda networks.  For more details, please see here or contact Dr Sander Chan at sander.chan@die-gdi.de. The deadline for applications is 29th April 2020.

Data Outreach & Partnerships Manager at World Resources Institute

World Resources Institute is hiring a Data Outreach & Partnerships Manager, Climate Watch. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to turn climate data into actions through powerful online tools. They will lead on outreach, communications, partnership management and user engagement for the Climate Watch platform. The candidate will support a team of data researchers in the scoping and further development of Climate Watch platform and ensure timely feedback and uptake by users. The work is done in close collaboration with leading government organizations and NGOs in the climate data space.  For more details, please see here.

Thank you to all organizations involved, including:, America’s Pledge, Bloomberg Philanthropies, BSR, C40, California Air Resources Board, CDP, Ceres, CIFF, ClimateNexus, ClimateWorks Foundation, Climate Bonds Initiative, Climate Strategies, Data-Driven EnviroLab, German Development Institute, European Commission, Global Covenant of Mayors, Global Climate Action Summit, Global Strategic Communications Council, Grantham Research Institute, GreenFaith, ICLEI, IDDRI, The Mission 2020 Campaign, New Climate Economy, NewClimate Institute, Regions4, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Principles for Responsible Investment, Rocky Mountain Institute, The Climate Group, The Stanley Foundation, UNEP DTU Partnership, UN Environment, United Nations Climate Change, University of Maryland, University of Oxford, We Mean Business, World Resources Institute, and WWF.

Have an announcement or update to share with the Camda community? Contact Roisín Gorman at RGorman@theclimategroup.org to submit to the Camda Insights newsletter.

The Mission 2020 Campaign – The Climate Group – ClimateWorks – United Nations Climate Change

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