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| 12:00 pm |
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Lorrae van Kerkhoff, Lecturer, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University. Funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries is fraught with political, practical and financial challenges. In recognition of this, at the 15th Conference of Parties in Copenhagen in December 2009, world leaders committed to mobilize US$100 billion per year by 2030 to assist developing countries mitigate the production of carbon dioxide and adapt to climate change. Such a funding mechanism can profoundly shape the governance of climate change adaptation in recipient countries. Designing an institution that can enhance effective governance for climate change is a major challenge. In this paper we draw lessons from the implementation of other financing mechanism and what we know about the particular characteristics of climate change to propose a suite of key principles and suggested practices that may help such a fund live up to its weighty mandate. The phrase “financing mechanism” suggests an entity that is functional and objective. However, a financing mechanism is ultimately made up of people and their decisions, bounded by rules and conventions, but enacted on a daily basis. The institutional design that we are concerned with here then, constitutes the “rules of the game” that guide and delimit the decisions that determine who gets what, for what, how all parties are held accountable, and whether or how we can improve our decision-making over time. We are particularly concerned with how these rules affect the governance of climate change adaptation in recipient countries with limited resources. We review existing literature on a number of relevant financing examples: • A market-based approach, the Clean Development Mechanism, especially its Adaptation Fund Board • A multi-lateral government-based approach, The Global Environment Facility, especially the Resource Allocation Framework • A public-private partnership, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations
We will then outline the particular challenges posed by climate change adaptation that make it similar to, and different from, those examples. We will pay particular attention to questions regarding additionality, especially 'integration' versus 'duplication' -- where climate change adaptation activities also meet other development goals, e.g. coral reef protection, improved forest management, basic education to reduce vulnerability. Should a financing mechanism attempt to separate climate change responses from development in order to avoid duplication? Or should a more expansive view be taken to allow for multiple benefits to flow from this funding program? On the basis of this analysis we propose a number of core principles that should be integrated into the design of the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund: efficiency, equity, effectiveness and empowerment, all framed by pathways that support integration, learning and flexibility. Lorrae van Kerkhoff is a lecturer at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University. Lorrae’s research and teaching interests include qualitative and integrative research methods, particularly as they contribute to decision-making and action in the arenas of sustainability and global health. She is particularly interested in the role of science in governance, decision-and policy-making as it relates to sustainability; north-south research collaborations; and institutional influences on the governance of knowledge. She holds a PhD from ANU in Human Ecology, was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (ANU) from 2003-2008, and spent 2004-5 with Harvard's Center for International Development, supported by a Fulbright Post-doctoral Fellowship and a Land and Water Australia Travelling Fellowship. While there she investigated how funding mechanisms connect science and politics in the treatment and prevention of malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. She has published extensively on integrative and transdisciplinary research concepts and methods, and is currently a contributing Editor to Environment journal.
[Buffet lunch available at 11:45.] |
| 5:00 pm |
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EBC Wine Reception - An Evening with Colonel Philip T. Feir, New England District Commander, US Army Corps of Engineers Emerging Enterprise Center at Foley Hoag
Colonel Feir, District Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers, will discuss the Corps plans for the New England District. Learn about the key environmental programs, projects and contract opportunities that the Corps will be working on in New England in FY11 and beyond, including Superfund, dredging and ecosystem restoration. This is your chance to learn more about the US Army Corps of Engineers? plans in New England and gain a better understanding of the environmental business opportunities that will result. Keynote Speaker:
Colonel Philip T. Feir District Commander Wine, beer and hors d'oeuvres will be provided. Time: The registration fees for this program are: EBC Young Environmental Professional Rate: $25.00 (5 available for members only) |
