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Climate Neutrality Framework Accelerating Integrated Climate Action for Sustainable Urban Development CONTENTS ICLEI’s Climate Neutrality Framework Accelerating integrated climate action for sustainable urban development CONTENTS 0. Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... 3 1. The Climate Crisis.............................................................................................................................. 4 2. Our Climate Neutrality Framework ......................................................................................... 5 2.1 Setting the scene for an holistic approach..........................................................................5 2.2 ICLEI’s definition of climate neutrality................................................................................ 6 2.3 GreenClimateCities™ (GCC) Program - support for subnational governments. 7 2.4 Three pillars of ICLEI’s climate neutrality framework ................................................. 9 2.5 How to apply the climate neutrality framework .............................................................9 ICLEI’s Climate Neutrality Framework – Accelerating integrated climate action for sustainable urban development Version: 5 October 2020 Lead authors: Yunus Arikan, Cesar Carreño, Maryke van Staden 2 ICLEI’s Climate Neutrality Framework 0. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Facing the climate crisis requires the concerted and industry, as well as academia are called on efforts of all actors. Here, the role of local to take responsibility for their own emissions and regional governments in tackling climate and contribution to global warming. Dealing change is key, as the level of government with this global challenge effectively all hands closest to the community, already dealing with need to be on deck, all actors committed and the impacts of climate change. engaged. Subnational governments are well placed To guide ICLEI’s network of cities, towns to define coherent and inclusive plans and regions, climate neutrality is defined as that address integrated climate action - follows: climate change adaptation, resilience and mitigation. Existing targets and plans need Climate neutrality in the context of local to be reviewed to bring in the necessary and regional governments is defined as level of ambition and outline how to achieve the targeted reduction of greenhouse gas net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. (GHG) emissions and GHG avoidance in own Creating roadmaps for climate neutrality will operations and across the community in all include the establishment of an organization sectors to an absolute net-zero emission framework and identify priority sectors for level at the latest by 2050. In parallel to action, while considering essential elements this, it is critical to adapt to climate change such as climate justice, inclusiveness, local and enhance climate resilience across all job creation and many other impacts that can sectors, in all systems and processes. To also deliver on sustainable development. achieve climate neutrality local and regional governments should set a clear goal and However, local and regional governments are advance rapidly following a holistic and not alone in dealing with this global challenge. integrated approach that leads to a wide range National governments are called on to actively of co-benefits for sustainable development, create enabling frameworks, ensure access to such as creating socio-economic finance and all possible support to accelerate opportunities, reducing poverty and inequality, climate action immediately. Citizens, non- and improving the health of people and nature. governmental organizations (NGOs), business ICLEI’s Climate Neutrality Framework 3 ICLEI recommends a holistic and integrated off-setting and compensation is needed. This approach to tackling climate change which cannot be achieved by local and regional can also support achievement of sustainable governments alone for their whole territories development. The GreenClimateCities (GCC) and communities. All actors are called on to Program is ICLEI’s climate action program, use mechanisms to offset emissions they through which global support is offered to contribute to, for emissions that cannot the ICLEI network, reporting is enabled, and immediately be removed, reduced or avoided. progress is tracked over time. ICLEI strongly recommends setting science- based targets when striving to achieve net zero emissions, and using a consumption based approach in order to address scope 3 emissions. ICLEI’s GreenClimateCities (GCC) Program Immediately reducing GHG and other harmful offers support to subnational governments. emissions is the main pillar and priority from a The GCC methodology includes Measuring/ climate change mitigation standpoint. Change Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) from polluting fossil fuels and other harmful for GHG emissions reduction and Monitoring sources, to clean, sustainable renewable & Evaluation (M&E) for climate change energy. Value resources, stop wasting adaptation and resilience. This is embedded in resources, reuse and optimize efficiency in ICLEI’s global reporting platform - the carbonn processes and through efficient technologies, Climate Registry (cCR). The cCR is used by to mention but a few action options. As a ICLEI to track local climate action, ensuring second pillar, divest, repurpose and reinvest in transparency, accountability and credibility clean, sustainable solutions - energy efficiency, of the ICLEI network and its collective renewable energy, carbon sequestration, and (aggregated) impact on climate change and resilience projects. As a last resort carbon sustainable development. 1. THE CLIMATE CRISIS In the current global climate crisis, urgent Local and regional governments around the efforts are required to scale up climate action, globe are at the frontline of dealing with the dealing with climate change mitigation, climate emergency through local climate adaptation and resilience. The scale of the action. They engage as they are at the forefront task at hand is daunting, and calls for united of dealing with the impacts of climate change, and accelerated efforts across all sectors and which they already experience. They are by all actors. increasingly committed to scale-up planning, implementation and monitoring efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), 4 ICLEI’s Climate Neutrality Framework increase carbon sequestration, adapt to (IPCC)1 refers to these as “development climate change and enhance climate resilience trajectories that combine adaptation and in their own government operations, but also mitigation to realize the goal of sustainable at community level. development. They can be seen as iterative, continually evolving processes for managing Increasingly subnational (local and regional) change within complex systems.” This governments are also committing to the approach is recommended by ICLEI, through necessary ambitious targets (climate the GreenClimateCities (GCC) Program, a neutrality, net zero GHG emissions, 100% tailor-made global climate support/response renewables, a variety of sectoral and program for local and regional governments in thematic targets, including green fleets, green the ICLEI network (refer to Chapter 2). public procurement etc). Many subnational governments are also declaring a climate Additional support from national governments emergency, as a political declaration to address and the international community is needed to a situation in which urgent action is required. guide, inspire, and fund the urgent necessary This enables a review and reallocation of the local climate action. Although progress is being governmental budget and action plan(s), to made, the speed and scale of implementation scale up climate action. is insufficient. Here improved multilevel governance, coordination, communication, Developing climate-resilient pathways are and integrated reporting systems are key. central to the recommended approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2. OUR CLIMATE NEUTRALITY FRAMEWORK 2.1 Setting the scene for an holistic approach Serving cities, towns and regions, ICLEI drives enables local and regional governments to sustainable urban development along five design climate solutions in an holistic and interconnected pathways that cut across integrated way, realizing a diversity of co- sectors and jurisdictional boundaries, namely: benefits, and creating change across their low-emission, circular, resilient, nature-based entire urban system, as well as considering and people-centered development. the urban-rural / urban-regional context for partnership and cooperation. Addressing climate change, the new generation of ICLEI’s GreenClimateCities (GCC) Program Each pathway guides local action, enabling supports subnational governments in raising climate action and contributing to the overall the level of ambition to achieve climate goal of climate neutrality (refer to Annex 2 for neutrality, and embedding this aspect in examples of recommended actions). integrated climate action. This approach LOW EMISSION NATURE-BASED EQUITABLE AND RESILIENT CIRCULAR DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT 1 See: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WGIIAR5-Chap20_FINAL.pdf ICLEI’s Climate Neutrality Framework 5 In 2018, through the ICLEI Montréal resilient, circular and equitable development Commitment and Strategy, the ICLEI network - embedding sustainable development in their of local and regional governments
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