Page 11 - Respond 2020 Magazine
P. 11

RESPOND


 THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY  THE GLOBAL
 The Global Environment Facility was
 established to help tackle our planet’s most
 pressing environmental problems. The GEF   ENVIRONMENT FACILITY
 has provided over $18.1 billion in grants
 and mobilized an additional $94.2 billion in
 co-financing for more than 4,500 projects   AND CLIMATE CHANGE
 in 170 countries.





 e are at a pivotal moment. The   that support how we live, how we eat, how we move, and how
 longer we delay in tackling climate   we produce and consume. With its unique mandate across
 Wchange, the less likely we are to limit   multiple Multilateral Environmental Agreements, including
 as a financial mechanism to the United Nations Framework
 warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels   Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Global
 by 2100—and the higher the risks and costs.   Environment Facility (GEF) is well placed to help catalyze the
 According to the Intergovernmental Panel   required transformation.
 on Climate Change (IPCC), limiting warming   The GEF is working to promote proven mitigation actions that
 to 1.5°C is not impossible, but would require   can reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
 unprecedented transitions in all aspects of   Such actions include, for example, promoting renewable
 society.   energy and energy efficiency, integrated urban management,
 and forestry and improved land use. The GEF is also
 We need to both reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas   supporting the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency
 concentrations and to develop ways to adapt to the changes   (CBIT), which helps developing countries monitor and report
 that are now unavoidable. We need to transform the systems   on progress toward their commitments under the Paris
 Agreement.
 Decarbonisation of the global energy system is critically
 important for a future global temperature increase that is
 in line with the Paris Agreement. Since 1995, the GEF has
 provided $2.5 billion and leveraged $25 billion from other
 financing sources in support of expansion of renewable
 energy supply and improvements in energy efficiency.
 The GEF has adopted an integrated and systems-based
 approach to catalyse a transformational shift towards
 sustainable urban growth under its Sustainable Cities
 Impact Program. This program helps cities adopt integrated
 approaches to invest in cross-sectoral integrated solutions
 for large-scale decarbonization and enhanced climate   needed attention to the world’s drylands. FOLUR will focus   the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), which supports
 resilience of cities. The programme is facilitating improved   on promoting transformative changes in the way we produce   urgent, medium- and long-term adaptation needs in least
 land use planning, infrastructure integration, circular   food, with the view of decoupling agricultural development   developed countries, and the Special Climate Change Fund
 economy approaches, and resilient urban design.   from carbon-intense and environmentally damaging practices.   (SCCF), accessible by all developing countries. At an event on
                                                               the sidelines of the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in
 The world also needs a more sustainable food system.   However successful we will be on pushing the proper
                                                               September, donors committed $160 million to the fund.
 Transformational change in food systems and land use   mitigation actions, we will still need adaptation measures to
 requires the engagement of multiple actors across the full   cope with the impacts of climate change and variability. This   A critical aspect of the GEF’s 2018-2022 adaptation strategy
 spectrum of the food system, linking actors and actions   is particularly true on issues like food and agriculture and   is to ensure complementarity with other finance sources,
 at the national, subnational, and jurisdictional scales to   cities, which are at the heart of the GEF’s new strategy.  so that countries can undertake effective and harmonised
 downstream demand and finance private sector players.         resilience programming. Another strong element is the
           A key issue before us is how to manage the uncertainty of
 The GEF’s Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact       enhanced engagement with the private sector by expanding
           future climate scenarios. While our response will be different
 Program (FOLUR) takes such a holistic approach in its efforts   catalytic grant and non-grant investments: the GEF supports
           depending on levels of warming, it is certain that we must act
 to promote sustainable food systems to tackle negative        pilot investments to test new technologies, develop
           now. We simply don’t have the luxury to wait and see.
 externalities in entire value chains; remove deforestation    entrepreneurs through incubators, seed funding, and venture
 from commercial commodity supply chains; and support   We must come together on planning decisions, and we must   capital approaches. The goal is to mobilise the private sector
 large-scale restoration of degraded landscapes for   integrate mitigation and adaptation into our development   as an agent for adaptation by supporting the mainstreaming
 sustainable production and ecosystem services.   strategies and sectoral investments. Only by working   of climate change adaptation and resilience considerations
           together will we find solutions needed to address the   into business models and risk management capabilities.
 Forest loss now accounts for about 12% of annual, global
           challenge before us.
 greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, two new dedicated        The GEF is deploying its resources where they can be most
 programs on forests and food system value chains will   The GEF is helping countries to enhance adaptive capacity,   helpful to all stakeholders—governments, businesses,
 invest approximately $700 million of GEF resources over   strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate   communities, researchers—to accelerate climate action.
 the next four years to tackle the key drivers of forest loss   change in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement,
                                                               For more information on the GEF’s work related to climate
 and land degradation. The Sustainable Forest Management   by mainstreaming resilience and adaptation to catalyze
                                                               change, please visit:
 (SFM) impact program will focus on the ecological integrity   transformation of key economic systems. The GEF supports
 of the Amazon and the Congo Basins, and will extend much   adaptation to climate change in developing countries through   www.thegef.org and on Twitter: @theGEF
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