Beyond Blueprints: Accelerate Implementation Now

Under the Paris Agreement, countries devise blueprints for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). Countries’ current commitments do not put the world on track to limit and avoid dangerous global warming but, at the same time, achieving the current goals in countries’ NDCs and NAPs is both difficult and complex. Supporting countries on their respective journeys—from more ambitious policy formulation and finance mobilization to investment promotion, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation—is foundational to achieving both country and global climate ambitions. 

USAID’s Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI), led by Abt Global, was launched at COP26 with the goal of identifying promising mitigation and adaptation investment opportunities with private sector partners to help countries meet their climate commitments and strengthen their climate resilience. It provides support to countries by helping them increase policy ambitions and legislative directives for emissions reductions and address critical implementation barriers related to information, finance, technology, capacity, and regulations. 

Over the past two years, CACCI has made progress on several fronts, including increasing climate policy ambition, mobilizing the private sector, enhancing accountability and transparency, and bridging the gap between intention and results. By creating a positive feedback loop between implementation success and greater ambition, countries see a realistic pathway to achieving their targets, making them more likely to commit to even more ambitious targets.

Increasing Climate Policy Ambition Through Foundational Target Setting  

CACCI responds in tailored ways to direct requests from countries. For example, supporting higher-emitting countries, such as South Africa, takes a whole-of-economy approach in setting new emissions targets. CACCI is aiding South Africa’s Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The LT-LEDS provides a vision for achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century. It relies on evidence and modeling that informs the sectoral measures and investments for a whole-of-economy approach. 

On the other hand, assisting lower-emitting countries, such as Jamaica, focuses on improving the enabling environment to support implementation. CACCI supports the Jamaican Ministry of Green Economy and Job Creation in developing climate change legislation, shaping the enabling environment for ambitious climate action. This includes setting the vision for decarbonization, establishing mandates for cross-sectoral coordination, clarifying institutional arrangements, and enabling private investment and finance for new technologies.

Mobilizing and Encouraging the Private Sector 

Given the scale of the climate crisis, achieving climate goals requires significant private investments. CACCI collaborated with the Boston Consulting Group to create an investment impact framework to help investors articulate adaptation and resilience project bankability in terms of feasibility, resilience impact, co-benefits, and profitability. CACCI worked with Nigeria’s National Council on Climate Change, building investment cases for six projects valued at over $1.1 billion in the agriculture, water, and energy sectors.   

Through the CACCI Partnership for Climate Action, private sector partners are articulating how their investments address climate change and support national climate agendas. For example, Genesis Energy is investing in renewable energy projects in Zambia to improve energy, health, and agriculture outcomes. Those projects include a hybrid solar and wind plant, solar electrification for healthcare facilities, and solar-powered cold chain storage to reduce post-harvest losses. 

Enhancing Accountability and Transparency

Effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning mechanisms are essential for tracking and reporting progress, identifying gaps, and adjusting strategies and ambitions. Understanding actions at local, national, and regional levels is crucial for benchmarking progress and to meeting global commitments. CACCI is supporting the African Union Commission through the development of a digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Learning Dashboard, which offers a consistent framework for member states to report on NDC implementation progress.  

Bridging the Gap Between Intention and Results 

Despite the difficulty of meeting climate commitments, countries must take action to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. As countries put in place the building blocks of progress, it is important to act, not just plan. Taking action, however imperfect, is the best shot at bridging the gap between intention and results. CACCI will continue to meet countries where they are on their journeys, providing tailored support to implement current goals, increase policy ambitions, and enhance resilience to climate impacts.