New climate champions can play a pivotal role in brokering agreement in the international climate regime and can serve as test cases for implementation of transformational domestic climate actions. Prepared for Oak Foundation in July 2010, this report conducts analysis on a group of priority developing countries in order to identify key short term opportunities, i.e. ‘quick wins’, for climate action in 2010.
We can now share our insights and in-depth analysis on five key countries that have the potential to become leaders and innovators in climate action: Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, and Turkey. They could play an important role both through ambitious and transformational domestic actions, and international climate diplomacy.
Some progressive developing countries (also known as Cartagena Dialogue countries) came forward in the UNFCCC negotiations last year and showed a willingness to take transformational action to decarbonise their economies. 2010 presents an opportunity to build on this progress and generate concrete action through:
- Supporting national climate campaigns to shape domestic politics and international negotiating positions of key countries.
- Seizing opportunities to strengthen likeminded coalitions and build the global climate regime (e.g. COP decisions on finance and MRV).
Enabling new climate action champions could support delivery of key strategic objectives for longer term low carbon transformation by:
- Demonstrating that low carbon transition is possible in a range of countries.
- Increasing vocal support for climate leadership within these countries and shaping the politics at key moments (e.g. domestic elections).
- Maximizing the level of transformation in the most ambitious countries, thus creating a first generation of climate resilient decarbonisation strategies from which other “development analogue” countries could learn.
Please find the accompanying report with country case studies above for download.
