COP21 RIPPLES at the PEP1p5 Final Symposium
COP21 RIPPLES consortium
COP21 RIPPLES was invited to participate in a two-day final symposium on policy learning in Potsdam, Germany, in the context of the project Pathways and Entry Points to Limit Global Warming to 1.5°C (PEP1p5) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The event presented and discussed project insights on 1.5 °C entry points and pathways with the aim of identifying research needs for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and inform the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in New York and COP25. Marta Torres (IDDRI), on behalf of the COP21 RIPPLES consortium, contributed to the session on good practice policies to strengthen ambition and how we can go beyond the current level of policy implementation, which was moderated by Detlef van Vuuren at PBL/Utrecht University.
The project PEP1p5 is a joint endeavour of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) and the NewClimate Institute. Over the past three years, these partners identified policy packages for enhancing near-term action, explored their suitability as climate policy entry points and analysed their implications for the transformation processes in 1.5 °C pathways.
To enrich the symposium discussions, COP21 RIPPLES shared research insights that talk to the experience in translating good practice policies and policy learning to the national context. We argued that national assessments do not always reflect the benefits of cooperation across borders. The Italian case study for e-mobility in D3.3 was explained to illustrate the case and emphasise the importance of national assessments to identify international cooperation strategies that may affect the country transformation to inform the international debate. Case studies are able to deepen the discussion on socio-economic aspects. Marta presented some of the concerns in relation to affordability and just transition in specific EU countries drawing on the results from D3.2. To inform technology transfer, COP21 RIPPLES work on the benefits of learning available on D3.3 was presented. Countries should start early to deploy and develop low-carbon technologies, concentrate on promising technologies, exploit individual regional strength and bear in mind the opportunities and constraints of the national innovation system. Taking the lessons from the case study on local content requirements on wind technologies in South Africa and Brazil, the point on the need for stable energy policy frameworks to influx clean technologies was made. Last, Marta introduced the COP21 RIPPLES work on international governance and the role that it could play a role in addressing domestic political economy barriers, particularly in emerging economies, as a key point to accelerate policy implementation.