1. USG Climate Change Overview Chris Dragisic
U.S. Department of State
May 2, 2016

2. Why we take action )

3. Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions
By Gas
By Sector
Source: IPCC 5th Assessment Report, WG3 (2014)

4. An increasing share of emissions come from developing countries
(non-Annex I of UNFCCC)
Developed Countries
(Annex I of UNFCCC)
Developing Countries
(non-Annex I of UNFCCC)
Developed Countries
(Annex I of UNFCCC)
Source: WRI CAIT

5. Leadership at home )

6. The President’s Climate Action Plan
Pillars
Cut Carbon Pollution in America
Prepare the U.S. for the Impacts of Climate Change
Lead International Efforts to Combat Climate Change and Prepare for its Impacts

7. U.S. Action on Climate Change
Foreign Assistance: U.S. Climate Finance
Climate Partnerships
U.S. Domestic Action
Common thread: pragmatic actions to enable countries to meet this global challenge together

8. U.S. INDC
The United States intends to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by per cent below its 2005 level in 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28%.

9. Example: USDA’s Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry
10 areas of action:
Soil Health
Nitrogen Stewardship
Livestock Partnerships
Conservation of Sensitive Lands
Grazing and Pasture Lands
Private Forest Growth and Retention
Stewardship of Federal Forests
Promotion of Wood Products
Urban Forests
Energy Generation and Efficiency

10. Example: USDA’s Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry
Voluntary and incentive-based
Focused on multiple economic and environmental benefits
Meet the needs of producers
Cooperative and focused on building partnerships
Assess progress and measure success
Expected to reduce net emissions and enhance carbon sequestration by over 120 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year by 2025

11. International efforts)

12. Global Climate Change Initiative
The United States will integrate climate change considerations into relevant foreign assistance through the full range of bilateral, multilateral, and private mechanisms to foster low-carbon growth, promote sustainable and resilient societies, and reduce emissions from deforestation and land degradation.
3 pillars:
Investing in Clean Energy
Promoting Sustainable Landscapes
Supporting Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation
Department of State, Department of Treasury, USAID

13. Sustainable Landscapes
Examples of GCCI-Supported Programs Include:
Forest Carbon Partnership Facility
BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes
SilvaCarbon
Climate Fellows
Widening Informed Stakeholder Engagement (WISE)
All in support of Low Emission Development Strategies

14. Climate Change Working Groups
US-China
Includes a focus on forest monitoring and MRV; mitigation and adaptation; impact of overseas investments on forests
U.S.- Brazil
Includes a focus on forest investment; native species; low-carbon, resilient agricultural practices; MRV
U.S.-India
Exploring forest cooperation

15. UNFCCC )

16. UNFCCC UNFCCC Negs begin Paris Agreement Copenhagen Accord
Cancun Agreement
Durban Platform
UNFCCC Adopted
Doha Gateway
Bali Action Plan
Kyoto Adopted
UNFCCC EIF
Warsaw
Kyoto EIF
Lima
U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change objective:
“to stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate.”  
Kyoto Binding Emissions Reductions for Developed Countries of -5.4% below 1990 levels (KP1)
CPH/Cancun: countries representing over 80% of global emissions pledged to reduce emissions.
Role of Developing Countries?
2015
1990
1992
1994
1997
2005
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014

17. Key Elements
Ambition
Goal of limiting global temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels with efforts to achieve 1.5°C
Parties are required to submit new or revisited NDCs every 5 years.  Each successive NDC should be more ambitious than the one before

18. Key Elements
Mitigation
Encourages Parties, by 2020, to submit “mid-century” LEDS to help frame their long term development and mitigation vision.
Parties shall account for anthropogenic emissions and removals, and avoid double counting
Parties should take into account existing accounting approaches.
1/CP21 establishes accounting principles that will guide a future work plan: accounting for emissions and removals, using IPCC methodologies and common metrics, methodological consistency, striving to include all categories of emissions by sources and removals by sinks or explain any omissions. Principles apply to the second and subsequent contributions, and voluntarily to the first.

19. Key Elements Transparency
Establishes an enhanced transparency framework for action and support with common guidelines and built in flexibility
Requires all countries to report at least every 2 years inventories of emissions, using internationally-accepted standards of good practice and providing information necessary to track progress towards targets
Establishes a multi-step review process including a technical expert review and multilateral peer review of implementation and achievement of NDCs
Work program to develop modalities, procedures, and guidelines to conclude in 2018
Establishes a new initiative to build institutional and technical capacity for transparency

20. Key Elements
Markets
Countries may use decentralized international carbon markets to meet their NDCs—“cooperative approaches”.
A centralized market mechanism and a non-market mechanism will also be developed.
Countries must transparently report on international markets use to avoid double-counting
1/CP21 sets out a work program to develop guidance on accounting for markets, and modalities and procedures for a market mechanism.  

21. Key Elements
The role of land, including forests, in addressing climate change was fully recognized in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Use of “sinks,” “reservoirs,” removals” throughout
Article 5
All Parties should take action to conserve and enhance sinks and reservoirs, including forests.
All Parties are encouraged to implement and support REDD+ and “alternative policy approaches;” incentivizing non-carbon benefits is also reflected.
Decision 1/CP21
The importance of financing for REDD+ and alternative policy approaches is recognized (decision 1/CP21).

22. Looking Forward Focus on NDCs Implementation Action
Enabling Environments
Capacity
Design of next round
Monitoring and reporting
Mobilizing support

23. Thank you!
Chris Dragisic