From Mitigation to NAMAs:
An Introduction to the
Evolution of NAMAs
benoit.lebot@undp.org
UNDP NAMA Webinar
Boots on the Ground & Low-Emission Capacity Building Programme
28 August 2012
GHG Emissions
450 ppm
~+2°C
2012
394 ppm
http://co2now.org/
GHG Concentration
GHG Sinks (Sequestration)
Pathway towards a 2°C Global Warming
CO2/Cap/year
North
16.1 tCO2eq/Cap
South
4.2 tCO2eq/Cap
2007
UNDP HDR Objective for 2050:
• In the north, - 80% in emissions
•In the south, - 20% in emissions
Today World
Average
2020
2050
Target
50%
Global
Emissions
2050
All sectors & regions have the potential to contribute
Note: estimates don’t include non-technical options such as lifestyle changes
IEA 2050 Energy GHG Global Forecast
5
Some Mitigation Options Come at
Negative
Cost
to
Society
Cost of
6O Abatement
$ / tCO2e/yr
4O
2O
O
-2O
-4O
-6O
Reduction in GHG
GtCO2e per year
Policies &
barriers
removal
GEF, ODA
Standard
Incentives
More
innovative
(Carbon?)
finance
Research,
development ,
demonstration
FiTs, taxes,
loans, CDM
PoAs, sectoral
crediting
Technology
transfer
NAMA: emerged in UNFCCC negotiations
• Bali Action Plan, 2007
“Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions by developing country
Parties in the context of sustainable development, supported and
enabled by technology, financing and capacity-building, in a
measurable, reportable and verifiable manner”.
• Cancun Agreements, 2010
Agrees that developing country Parties will take nationally
appropriate mitigation actions in the context of sustainable
development, supported and enabled by technology, financing and
capacity-building, aimed at achieving a deviation in emissions
relative to ‘business as usual’ emissions in 2020;
Ingredients of a low carbon pathway
Framework
Incentives
Governance
LEDS
Financing
Centralized
Transverse
Policies
Public or private funds
in the form of bonds,
capital, tax credit…
Sectoral
Policies
Trading
System
Programme
Distribution of
exchangeable
allowances
Credit
Project
Credit issuance after
emissions reductions
International or
multilateral
Monitoring
committe
Decentralized
Bilateral
National
NAMAs: a new concept that continues to evolve
NAMAs are actions that reduce GHGs or enhance sink. NAMAs
are presumed to be:
 voluntary
 country driven
 compatible with sustainable development
• Conceptually, NAMAs are no different to existing mitigation
efforts
• What is new about NAMAs is the UNFCCC context & the need to
Monitor, Report & Verify the identified NAMAs
The multiple faces of NAMAs
•Unilateral or Autonomous NAMAs: Actions taken
voluntarily & unilaterally without external support
•Supported NAMAs: Actions Conditioned on financial &
technology support from developed countries
Monitoring Reporting & Verification
• Why MRV?
– ensure transparency & accountability of impact of support
received
– track & report impact of NAMA on GHG emissions, sustainable
development, poverty reduction, co-benefits, etc
– help monitor global effort to combat future climate change
• How?
– NAMAs will be recorded in both national & international
registry systems (UNFCCC just launched prototype registry)
– For supported NAMAs, countries to report progress through
National Communications every four years and/or Biennial
Update Reports (BURs) every two years
– BURs will be subject to International Consultation and Analysis.
Outcome will not be punitive.
Key differences between NAMAs & CDM
The concept of a NAMA is different to the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) in a number of important ways:
• NAMAs more suited to implementation of policies, strategies,
and programmes, whereas the CDM is implemented at the project
level
• NAMAs are most likely to be driven by national governments, and
may be undertaken in partnership with the private sector, whereas
CDM projects are typically driven by firms involved directly in the
carbon markets
• Supported NAMAs do not (at present) have any specific
additionality rules, whereas the CDM has strict rules for testing
each project for additionality
Key differences between NAMAs & CDM (cont.)
• CDM projects generally have quite stringent MRV requirements that
require demonstration of emissions reductions, whereas NAMA MRV
requirements could vary significantly depending on the nature of the
activity and the financing approach
• Programmatic CDM (PoAs) is closer to the NAMAin concept, and
indeed could provide a starting point for conceptualizing a NAMA
Why undertake NAMAs?
NAMAs:
 contribute to national sustainable economic & human
development goals & poverty reduction efforts
 can be used to access the Green Climate Fund and other
financial sources (domestic, bilateral, private)
 attract foreign direct investment into key sectors
 provide incentives for home-grown technology
innovation, deployment & transfer
 promote local economic development, contribute to
energy security, & enhance industrial efficiency
A