Thematic Tracks for the Regional Climate Weeks 2023

This section contains detailed information on each of the four tracks and the principles that guided event development. All events contributed substantively to the Global Stocktake process by identifying region-relevant actions and timelines necessary to accelerate the progress needed to keep the 1.5 C trajectory reachable.

The Thematic Focus of each Track of the Regional Climate Weeks in 2023 provided a broad non-exhaustive framework and guided the development of individual events and sessions for alignment with the overarching narrative:

Planning and implementing policies and actions for the energy transition towards efficient and low GHG emission energy systems:

  • The state of energy transition in the region – where we are and where we need to go as well as discussing national and sub-national decarbonization and net-zero carbon targets in the energy and industry sector
  • Enhancing Ambition and Accelerating Action
    • Connecting immediate and medium-term actions with long-term planning and strategies on energy, industry and low-emission development (LT-LEDS). Scaling-up credible climate action across subnational governments, companies of all sizes, sectors and regions, enabling them to deliver on meaningful commitments to reduce emissions at scale
  • Incorporating just transition, climate justice and energy security and climate adaptation and resilience aspects in planning for efficient and renewable energy systems: aligning long-term energy and emission reduction planning (such as LT-LEDS) in the region focusing on energy supply, power generation, energy security and critical sectoral energy demand growth (e.g., cooling and electric transportation from a policy and technology perspective

Support for implementation and enabling environment to address barriers to action: Financial, technological and capacity-building needs in the area of energy transition:

  • Mitigation actions through carbon pricing and the use of Article 6 mechanisms 
  • Regional perspectives on financing the energy transition– channeling finance flows and enhancing financial readiness for low emissions and climate-resilient development 
  • Partnerships and collaboration to accelerate the energy transition
  • Catalyzing private sector capital towards clean energy by de-risking investments and by addressing investment barriers
  • Regional perspectives on capacity-building areas to transition the energy and industry sectors
  • Introduce policies that incentivize renewable energy and promote energy efficiency

Innovation - promoting sustainable development:

  • Creating a sustainable and resilient energy mix: energy resilience and low-emission technologies, avoiding lock-in and phasing out high-emission systems and technologies while scaling up low and zero-emission alternatives
  • Accelerating the shift to a circular economy, implementing digitalization and smart solutions, district energy systems grids and deploying diverse energy storage systems
  • Challenges, opportunities, and socioeconomic effects of just energy transitions for sustainable development
  • The role of technology and innovation beyond technology in accelerating the energy transition and decarbonizing industry 
  • Integrating energy into urban planning to effectively reduce demand and optimize energy supply across end-uses (power, heat/cool, transport etc.)
  • Creating an innovation space of thought leadership from a regional lens to: 
    • Innovative business models and investment cases for 1.5C degrees and SDG-aligned energy projects 
    • Design roadmaps to drive industry-wide and/or region-wide policy adoption such as in cooling
    • Learn about the opportunities readily available for example on green hydrogen, storage systems, smart grids, integrated urban energy systems
  • Explore technology and innovation from regional stakeholders on: 
    • digitization
    • energy-efficiency solutions conservation, demand side management, and other opportunities that help address the intermittency in renewable energy production
    • and addressing barriers to the clean energy transition for example given inadequate grid infrastructures designed to accommodate conventional energy sources 
  • Integrated climate and clear air planning to harness health benefits – across household energy, transport, industry
Track-2-Cities-Urban-and-Rural-Settlements-Infrastructure-and-Transport

The Thematic Focus of each Track of the Regional Climate Weeks in 2023 provided a broad non-exhaustive framework and guided the development of individual events and sessions for alignment with the overarching narrative:

Subnational regions, Cities, Human Settlements, and the enabling environment, including awareness raising, education, inclusion, innovation, and finance:

  • Localizing climate financing: increasing access to financial resources to escalate climate action at the local level
  • The role of technology and innovation in accelerating climate resilient infrastructures: develop energy efficient and clean energy solutions for the built environment
  • Inclusive, participatory, and integrated human settlement planning: – connection to national planning

Infrastructure, transport, nature-based solutions, and waste:

  • Achieving a decarbonized and resilient infrastructural system
  • Achieving a just, affordable, accessible and decarbonized transport system to ensure healthy, inclusive, and equitable human settlements 
  • Achieving zero waste and circular economy:
    • recover
    • reuse
    • recycle
    • redesign
    • regenerate
  • Achieving sustainable and resilient urban development through the widespread implementation of Nature-based Solutions and ecosystem restoration

Social and just impact of Policy decision making and investment choices for more effective climate outcomes:

  • Enhancing transparency and ensuring accountability to improve monitoring of results and promote trust across citizens and stakeholders
Track-3---Land-Ocean-Food-and-Water

The Thematic Focus of each Track of the Regional Climate Weeks in 2023 provided a broad non-exhaustive framework and guided the development of individual events and sessions for alignment with the overarching narrative:

Land: Elaboration on challenges and opportunities in leveraging land resources and terrestrial ecosystems for transformational adaptation. For instance,

  • What regional adaptation efforts (e.g., regarding agriculture and food production, urbanization, human settlements, biodiversity and ecosystems, and freshwater resources) can be enhanced for transformational adaptation? How can the synergies and co-benefits among these approaches be strengthened?
  • What positive experiences in your region can be shared and scaled related to minimizing land use changes associated with agriculture and aquaculture, in particular carbon losses resulting from deforestation and degradation of soils?
  • From a buzzword to action: how can Nature-based Solutions (NbS) be leveraged (considering various values, limits, and benefits) for transformational adaptation in a way that ecosystem integrity is preserved?
  • How best can scientific approaches and knowledge from indigenous people and local communities' practices be integrated into transformational climate change adaptation?
  • How can the threat of climate-induced slow-onset events on land resources and terrestrial ecosystems be minimized?

The Ocean: Discussions on optimizing international institutional procedures to facilitate transformational adaptation and climate resilient development at the regional level. For instance,

  • What are the innovative marine NbS and other ocean-based solutions and policies in the region and how can they be scaled up to contribute to adaptation?
  • How can we create an enabling environment, including governance and policy, in support of sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and creation of jobs, while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems?
  • How can cross-cutting considerations such as inclusive and equitable management better be integrated into the development of co-designed adaptation strategies in support of a healthy ocean ecosystem and sustainable use of ocean resources?

Water: Discussions on the conceptualization of the water-climate nexus for climate resilient development at the regional level. For instance,

  • What remains to be done to move from incremental adaptation to transformational adaptation, avoiding maladaptation?
    • Recognizing regional efforts and existing challenges, how can transformational adaptation be achieved?
  • How can cross-cutting considerations such as inclusive and equitable management better be integrated into addressing water-climate nexus challenges?
  • With the majority of climate-induced disasters being water-related, how can governments and relevant actors leverage existing intergovernmental mechanisms to advance momentum and ensure improved implementation?

Food: Discussions on promoting climate-resilient food systems. For instance,

  • How can we promote better-integrated food and nutrition security and climate action? What positive experiences of successful food and climate-integrated action in the region can be shared and scaled?
  • What are the main bottlenecks in your region/country/local level to achieving food systems resilience to climate change and in turn to making food production, transport, and consumption more sustainable?
  • How can climate finance be leveraged towards promoting climate resiliency in food systems?
Track-4---Societies-Health-Livelihoods-and-Economies

The Thematic Focus of each Track of the Regional Climate Weeks in 2023 provided a broad non-exhaustive framework and guided the development of individual events and sessions for alignment with the overarching narrative:

Circular economy approaches

  • Governance – Enabling policy frameworks and incentives, from local to regional to national
  • Finance, including new and innovative financing and economic models
  • Production systems – approaches and successful examples
  • Measuring and tracking circularity –approaches and good practice case studies
  • Economic diversification and poverty reduction

The whole of society's approaches to transformation

  • Multilevel governance facilitates cooperation across line ministries and thereby unlocking innovation and systems change, as well as across levels of government.
  • Inclusive and enhanced civic engagement, including children and youth, in climate policy, decision-making and action – approaches and good practice case studies.
  • Individual and collective action – approaches and good practice case studies e.g., behaviour change through awareness-raising, education, technical and managerial training, media
  • Social protection and adaptive social safety nets – approaches and good practice case studies

Health

  • Explaining the health and climate change nexus – including the aspects of extreme heat on human health and well-being, as well as the interlinkages of climate change and air pollution via short-lived climate pollutants, affecting people’s health as well as ecosystem health  – understanding the concepts, interlinkages, gender dimensions, vulnerability and investment needs and opportunities, including those viable solutions that allow for multiple benefits for climate, clean air and health
  • Preparedness and resilience in health systems – approaches and good practice case studies including in relation to health infrastructure, with a focus on urban and rural settlements
  • Health and the care economy – approaches and good practice examples
  • Changes occurring in the natural environment due to climate change are compromising food security and increasing the spread of infectious diseases. One Health is a powerful approach that can enable the achievement of health for humans, animals, plants, and the environment, as well as food and water security and safety

Livelihoods

  • Decent jobs and skills building for gender-responsive just transitions – approaches and good practice case studies
  • Agricultural systems and rural livelihoods
  • Livelihoods and land/oceans (supply of food, freshwater and multiple other ecosystem services, as well as biodiversity), including indigenous peoples’ traditional livelihood practices
  • Disaster risk reduction approaches to livelihood protection
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