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Goal Overview
The focus of this Agency Priority Goal (APG) is to enable economic growth concurrent with significant reductions in national emissions trajectories through 2020 and the longer term by supporting the development and implementation of low emission development strategies (LEDS). Specifically, this APG measures the progress of Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) and the multilateral Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP).
Through EC-LEDS, a multiagency U.S. Government team is working with partner countries to identify and advance effective economy-wide LEDS.
The LEDS Global Partnership is a multilateral platform for enhanced coordination, information exchange, and cooperation among countries and international programs working to advance low emission climate resilient growth that the U.S. State Department founded.
Low-emission, climate-resilient sustainable economic growth is highlighted as a U.S. diplomatic and development priority in the U.S. National Security Strategy, the President’s development policy, the President’s Climate Action Plan, and the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review.
Strategies
The State and USAID climate change teams have developed the implementation strategy for this Agency Priority Goal through a series of interagency discussions and regular EC-LEDS management meetings convened by the USAID Global Climate Change Coordinator and the Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change.
The U.S. Government’s work on LEDS has two primary components:
1.Providing targeted technical assistance and capacity building for LEDS. Examples of this assistance include: 1) supporting the development of new strategies and/or enhancing and strengthening existing strategies, 2) working with government and civil society partners to strengthen in-country human and institutional capacity, including through the provision of tools and approaches to assist with LEDS, and 3) supporting the implementation of LEDS. Additional examples of types of technical assistance provided include: greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory support, emissions and economic modeling and projections, policy analysis, and financing, as well as implementation planning and programs for specific low carbon growth options.
2.Promoting a shared global knowledge base on LEDS through the LEDS Global Partnership. The LEDS Global Partnership—a partnership of more than 100 countries and international programs—enhances coordination, information exchange, and cooperation to advance climate-resilient low emission growth. It does this through three regional platforms for cooperation and more than nine global working groups focused on issues ranging from designing and implementing LEDS, to measuring and assessing the impact of low emissions development pathways, to financing the implementation of low emission development policies and technologies.
Progress Update
Overview
The FY 2014-2015 Climate Change Agency Priority Goal (APG) states that by the end of 2015, U.S. bilateral assistance on Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) will reach at least 25 countries (from the previous baseline of 22 countries) and will result in the achievement of at least 45 major individual country milestones, each reflecting a significant, measurable improvement in that country’s development or implementation of LEDS. Also by the end of 2015, at least 1,200 developing country government officials and practitioners (from a baseline of zero) will strengthen their LEDS capacity through participation in the LEDS Global Partnership and that capacity will be meaningfully applied in 25 countries (from a baseline of zero).
By the end of FY 2015, the U.S. Government exceeded this goal, with U.S. bilateral assistance reaching 26 countries and completing 46 APG milestones. In addition to the 15 milestones achieved in FY 2014, U.S. Government-supported LEDS programs achieved 31 additional milestones in FY 2015 with U.S. Government assistance; consisting of 21 milestones for LEDS development (including 11 milestones on Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) development) and 10 milestones for LEDS implementation. The LEDS Global Partnership also exceeded its APG target, strengthening the LEDS capacity of 4,796 country officials and practitioners who meaningfully applied that enhanced capacity in 27 countries (13 in FY 2014 and 14 in FY 2015).
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State (State) achieved these milestones by the deadline of October 1, 2015, through reporting submitted by USAID missions and other partners to the Enhancing Capacity for LEDS (EC-LEDS) database that is maintained by the Global Climate Change (GCC) office in USAID’s Bureau for Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3). USAID and State achieved these results as the international community prepared to seek an international climate agreement at the United Nations climate negotiations in Paris (i.e. the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21)) in December 2015. U.S. assistance on LEDS helped to foster an environment of productive collaboration and motivation to make progress on international climate solutions during this critical time.
Looking ahead to the FY 2016-2017 APG, by the end of FY 2017, U.S. bilateral assistance under LEDS will reach a minimum of 26 countries and achieve at least 100 major individual country milestones (from a baseline of 46), each reflecting a significant, measurable improvement in that country’s development or implementation of LEDS.
To meet the overall goal of 100 milestones, USAID and State will need to achieve an additional 54 milestones by the end of FY 2017 (23 in FY 2016 and 31 in FY 2017).
Explanation of Results
The FY 2014-2015 GCC APG exceeded its milestone target, achieving 46 major country milestones by the end of FY 2015. This success was a combination of two key factors. First, the dedication of Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) partner country missions to move this work forward within their country contexts was a crucial component of success. Countries were especially motivated to demonstrate progress during this period as they prepared for COP 21. Second, these results directly correlate to a massive inter and intra-agency collaboration effort to both develop and report against APG milestones in partnership with USAID missions. The USAID GCC technical team, in collaboration with USAID regional bureau POCs, and the State Department’s climate change team worked continuously with missions to refine and strengthen proposed milestones. The proposed milestones focus on outcome-based country results and achievements to which U.S.-supported programs made a significant contribution. Expert review teams validate completed milestones against concrete evidence, ensuring that targets and results represent transformative country actions, and are anchored by sound data at the time of reporting.
USAID and State, define a “major milestone” as the establishment, adoption, or significant improvement in essential LEDS components or building blocks in a partner country. These building blocks may include, but are not limited to: plans, strategies, greenhouse gas inventories or accounting systems, analytical tools, institutional arrangements, greenhouse gas registries, or monitoring, reporting and verification systems.
Below are three examples of milestones achieved under the LEDS development indicator:
- India – National monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system for forest carbon and forest condition developed and demonstrated.
In FY 2015, Forest-PLUS helped India achieve a stable MRV system design and full field demonstration. Through the Forest-PLUS program, USAID has catalyzed the development of an integrated MRV system that combines a nationally focused system with various previously incompatible state systems. USAID has provided support to Government of India’s Forest Survey of India and four State Forest Departments to design the system. By developing, demonstrating, and later institutionalizing an efficient, integrated MRV system, this support has provided a mechanism and a trajectory for Indian institutions to coordinate on forestry data and help India meet the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Measurement, Reporting, and Verification requirement.
- Peru – Transport Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) developed.
Applying a peer-to-peer and collaborative approach, the Low Emission Development Strategy Global Partnership (LEDS GP) Transport Working Group organized a series of technical workshops on LEDS methodologies with peer experts from Colombia and Mexico and provided additional technical support to build the capacity of the Peruvian Ministries of Environment, Transport, and Energy and Mines. The Peruvian Ministries of Environment and Transport, with support from LEDS GP and other partners, developed and funded Peru’s Transport NAMA. With only some of the measures considered, the NAMA will reduce emissions by five million tons CO2e from 2015-2025 and will result in reduced congestion and better access to public transportation.
- Colombia – Government of Colombia developed and submitted their Post-2020 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with USG assistance.
Under the framework of the Low Carbon Development Strategy process, Colombia designed their INDC and submitted it to the UNFCCC. Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS), through the Low Carbon Resilient Development Program, supported the technical process with specific studies to provide a range of possible greenhouse gas emission reduction goals in the agriculture, transport, and housing sectors. Sectoral ministries that have approved Sectoral Mitigation Action Plans based those inputs on a bottom-up approach that feeds into sectoral decision-making related to the INDC.
For the LEDS implementation indicator, a “major milestone” is an event, output, or outcome that shows a partner country is achieving significant progress in implementing its LEDS that results in, is expected to result in, and/or establishes the necessary pre-conditions for emissions reductions. Improvements that may be considered “major” include, but are not limited to: significant measured GHG reductions from business as usual; finance mobilized and funds established for mitigation actions; additional clean energy generation capacity installed; reductions in the conversion or degradation of ecosystems that are significant carbon sinks; and laws, policies, or regulations enacted or promulgated; or country-level renewable energy targets met or land based carbon sequestration targets met.
Below are three examples of milestones achieved under the LEDS implementation indicator:
- Asia Regional – Over $150 million (USD) mobilized from private and public sources for clean energy investments in Asia, as a result of U.S. Government assistance.
In FY 2015 alone, U.S. Government support mobilized more than $150 million for clean energy investment in countries in Asia through the USAID-supported Climate Technology Initiative Private Finance Advisory Network (CTI PFAN). This financing includes $13.4 million in India for investment in clean electric scooters and renewable energy; $12.6 million in Thailand for biomass; $10 million in Indonesia for LED street lights; and more than $102 million in Vietnam for wind energy. CTI PFAN is a multilateral public private partnership that connects clean energy businesses and projects with private sector financing. Through its network of private sector consultants, CTI PFAN provides targeted professional support, advice, and technical assistance to selected projects on the preparation of commercially viable, sustainable, and climate-friendly business models for introduction to investors.
- Indonesia – Strategic Environmental Assessments developed and implemented for 11 districts in Indonesia, reducing more than four million metric tons CO2e.
Over the past five years, USAID, through the Indonesia Forest and Climate Support Program (IFACS) has supported the development of 11 district-level Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) across five priority landscapes. These SEAs are required analyses that inform district-level development planning by identifying forested and biodiversity-rich lands within district boundaries that can be better managed and protected. These USAID supported SEAs have resulted in approximately 561,000 total hectares of tropical forests being set aside by districts for conservation. IFACS resulted in 4,425,000 tons of carbon emissions avoided from deforestation and land use change.
- India – Replicable model for rooftop solar deployment, with high potential to accelerate achievement of India’s National Solar Mission, implemented by State utility
In FY 2015, Karnataka launched its Solar Policy with support from the U.S. Government. Through it, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd. (BESCOM), the state’s largest public distribution utility has set an ambitious target to deploy 100 MW of rooftop solar annually over four years (four percent of the national 2018 target). When India achieves this target, they will reduce 484 million tons CO2e annually. The USG supported BESCOM to address key structural gaps in the market eco-system, i.e. interconnection procedures and permitting requirements. The policy establishes an institutional framework to scale up deployment of rooftop solar that could be replicated nationally in other utilities (i.e., open-source procedures).
Challenges and Opportunities
Following the approval of the streamlining committee, USAID and State streamlined and improved the APG data collection process with the introduction of the EC-LEDS database that houses milestone data and supporting program information, such as country theories of change and implementing mechanism information. The database was extremely helpful in streamlining data collection and eliminating the use of multiple google spreadsheets. However, as is typically the case with introducing new processes and tools, the first round of proposing and reporting against milestones via the database had some technical and logistical difficulties. By making incremental improvements to the database and working closely and collaboratively with USAID missions, USAID and State overcame many of these obstacles and made improvements to the processes.
Coordinating the review and validation of proposed and completed milestones remains a challenge, as it is time and labor intensive and requires active participation from USAID, State, and missions. Additionally, the timing of the data collection process presents a challenge for operating units since it comes at the end of the fiscal year, before most of the implementing mechanisms are required to report their year-end results to USAID missions for entry into the Foreign Assistance Coordination and Tracking System (FACTS) database. USAID and State Department teams in Washington will continue to communicate with missions in a clear and timely manner to overcome these challenges.
While U.S. Government assistance plays a major role in laying the groundwork for the achievement of major milestones, the full realization of these milestones is often beyond direct U.S. Government control. Due to the outcome-based, country-owned nature of the major milestones, ultimate achievement of these milestones often relies on actions on the part of partner governments or their designated institutions. These actions are beyond the control of USAID and State climate change development assistance programs. Thus, it can also be difficult to predict if country milestones will be achieved due to unforeseen circumstances (for example, natural disasters, political issues, etc.). State and USAID work to navigate this issue by maintaining constant communication with missions and an awareness of evolving country circumstances.
As this work moves forward, it will be challenging to maintain the level of momentum and accomplishment in an uncertain budget environment. The success of this program relies on Global Climate Change Initiative funding reaching partner countries through both bilateral and multilateral channels. Therefore, future investments in the 26 EC-LEDS partner countries and LEDS Global Partnership are critical for successful performance in the FY 2016-2017 goal.
One significant opportunity is the increased momentum and motivation from a successful international climate agreement reached at COP 21 in Paris. Nearly 200 countries came together to reach this agreement in December 2015. USAID and State will strive to make strong linkages between LEDS assistance and outcomes of the Paris Agreement, including helping countries implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and submit subsequent NDCs every five years, continue to measure and report on their greenhouse gas emissions through robust and transparent inventories, and develop national long-term, mid-century LEDS by 2020.
Next Steps
No Data Available
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Performance Indicators
Number of countries in which USG technical assistance for LEDS has been initiated
Number of major milestones achieved by partner countries as a result of U.S. assistance, each reflecting significant, measurable improvement in national frameworks for low emission development.
Number of officials and practitioners with strengthened capacity through participation in the LEDS Global Partnership
Number of countries in which capacity is strengthened through participation in the LEDS Global Partnership and is meaningfully applied
Major milestones acheived reflecting improved LEDS implementation
Contributing Programs & Other Factors
The Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) program is the primary program responsible for achieving this goal. As noted above, EC-LEDS is part of the President’s Global Climate Change Initiative. The Goal Co-managers, USAID Global Climate Change Coordinator Kit Batten and Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change Trigg Talley, also co-manage the EC-LEDS program. Day-to-day implementation is overseen by the Office of Global Change within State/OES and the Global Climate Change Office within USAID/Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3) in cooperation with USAID Regional Bureaus, U.S. Embassies, and USAID missions in the field. For additional details, see EC-LEDS.org.
Several other USAID and State activities support the objectives of this APG. Examples include:
- Forest Carbon, Markets & Communities (FCMC)
- SilvaCarbon
- Low Emission Asian Development (LEAD)
- Climate and Economic Analysis for Development, Investment, and Resilience (CEADIR)
- U.S. support for the Low Emission Development Strategy Global Partnership
USAID and State Department have interagency agreements with the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Forest Service to support their provision of technical expertise on energy, transportation, agriculture, and forests.
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Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
Promote the Transition to a Low-Emission, Climate-Resilient World while Expanding Global Access to Sustainable Energy
Statement:
Promote the Transition to a Low-Emission, Climate-Resilient World while Expanding Global Access to Sustainable Energy
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Description:
Addressing climate change successfully demands action at home and more intensive engagement with other countries. Domestically, by 2020, the United States plans to meet its commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels.
Internationally, as a result of recent progress in negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international climate regime now reflects pledges through 2020 by more than 80 countries constituting about 80 percent of global emissions, including the world’s major emitters, and holds countries accountable for their actions through regular and robust reporting and reviews. In December 2015, the 195 countries party to the UNFCCC are to conclude a new agreement addressing the global climate response in the post-2020 era. This will be a major milestone in the effort to combat climate change over the next two decades. Simultaneously, we will enhance engagement bilaterally, plurilaterally, and multilaterally to deliver results that will contribute to an ambitious and effective global response to climate change, through 2020 and beyond.
External factors that could affect our efforts include negotiating stances of other countries and domestic actions some countries take to combat climate change. The private sector plays a major role, as investment decisions such as the choice of technologies for new power generation and design of new cars and trucks can have a climate impact for years to come. Also, partnering with countries to encourage a low-emissions development path will be more successful when working with foreign governments that make combating climate change a priority.
Strategies for Achieving the Objective
Through the President’s Climate Action Plan, the President’s Global Climate Change Initiative, and USAID’s Climate Change and Development Strategy, the United States has made low-emissions, climate-resilient sustainable economic growth a priority in our diplomacy and development. Our efforts involve two major areas of engagement: (1) lowering the atmospheric accumulation rate of greenhouse gases that cause climate change; and (2) helping societies anticipate and incorporate plans for responding to potential climate change impacts. The United States is leading efforts to address climate change through international climate negotiations while enhancing multilateral and bilateral engagement with major economies. It is also enhancing partnerships with other key countries and regions. The U.S. is focusing its efforts on actions that support a successful global approach to climate change, as reflected in discussions leading up to the Paris climate conference in 2015, and for subsequent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) sessions. These efforts deliver results that contribute to an ambitious and effective global response to climate change to the year 2020 and beyond.
The U.S. is building partnerships to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants and from deforestation. For example, the U.S. works to secure a global phase-down of hydro-fluoro-carbons through the Montreal Protocol. If implemented, this could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 90 gigatons of CO2 equivalent by 2050. The U.S. is also building capacity for countries to undertake low-emission development policies. This work includes assisting countries to increase their capacity for cross-sector planning and formulating sectoral policies for low-emissions growth. Other efforts aim to expand clean energy generation and transmission and to increase energy efficiency while phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption. This requires mobilizing public and private investments in cleaner energy, implementing enhanced land-use practices, and building public-private partnerships that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
The Department of State and USAID’s climate-smart agriculture efforts involve implementing technologies that increase climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. State and USAID are also working to promote sustainable land uses, which combine climate change mitigation and resilience with long-term growth. Additionally, State and USAID support adaptation planning processes in vulnerable countries and communities by developing support tools that use climate science and improve access to data. These integrate climate data into planning decisions. They also strengthen public participation in climate change planning, especially by women, vulnerable populations, indigenous groups, and minorities. State and USAID back actions that increase climate resilience with respect to water security, land management, disaster planning, financial risk management, and management of biodiversity and natural resources.
The United States supports bilateral and multilateral programs by working with the most vulnerable communities, least developed and developing nations, and the major greenhouse gas emitters. Among the programs and efforts to achieve their overall climate change objectives, State and USAID have chosen to highlight efforts to support Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) as a cross-cutting Agency Priority Goal. Through LEDS assistance, State and USAID seek to guide policy-makers in analyzing, formulating, and making policy decisions enabling them to develop along a lower emission pathway, which contributes to greenhouse gas reduction efforts. The main program for providing LEDS Assistance, the Enhancing Capacity for LEDS (EC-LEDS) program is a unique State and USAID partnership that blends their respective strengths in diplomacy and development. EC-LEDS stands as a key element of U.S. climate assistance, alongside their critical efforts including: (1) the Major Economies Forum; (2) Clean Energy Ministerial; (3) Climate and Clean Air Coalition; (4) Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA)2020; and (5) a range of multilateral funds, such as the Clean Investment Funds and funds focusing on adaptation such as the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund.
Statement:
Promote Energy Security, Access to Clean Energy, and the Transition to a Cleaner Global Economy
Description:
The geopolitics of energy is being transformed, as traditional energy producers address the steeply rising demand from the developing world. Changes in production patterns, such as the Western Hemisphere becoming a larger fossil fuel producer, are altering the global dynamic. The viability of new energy technologies, such as new ways to produce natural gas, and the steep fall in the cost of renewables, are changing energy market trade and consumption patterns.
At the same time, worldwide nearly 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity and 2.7 billion do not have a safe way to cook food. Although Africa has abundant renewable and hydrocarbon potential, 69 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global demand for electricity will grow 70 percent by 2035, faster than any other final form of energy. Over 80 percent of this global growth will be in non- OECD countries, with China and India accounting for half.
State and USAID are committed to working with our global partners to establish commercially viable energy sectors that can attract investment to expand access to energy, increase the use of clean energy and energy-efficient technologies, and ensure responsible, transparent, and effective stewardship of energy resources. Global access to reliable, affordable energy is vital to our economic, environment, foreign policy, and development priorities. The Department of State and USAID join together our diplomatic and programmatic efforts to build sustainable, transparent, and predictable international energy markets that advance U.S. national interests, our environmental goals, and a strong global economy.
Our prosperity and that of our international allies and partners depend on global markets for traded energy commodities such as oil and natural gas. While we must protect our energy security today, we must also foster international cooperation toward a global clean energy and energy-efficient future.
Engaging developing nations, which will be the largest contributors to growth in global energy demand in coming decades, is essential to successful energy and climate diplomacy. Expanding access to modern, affordable sustainable energy can be a win-win solution for the climate, the global economy, and development. It can curb greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, spur economic growth, and lower energy costs, while attracting private investment to emerging economies to improve national and regional power networks. Strengthening energy sector governance, transparency, and accountability supports economic growth, improves democratic prospects, reduces the potential for resource-fueled conflict, and helps U.S. businesses compete and operate in resource-rich states.
An estimated $17 trillion is needed through 2035 to meet global electricity demand, according to the IEA. Renewables are expected to account for two-thirds of new investment in generation capacity. Transformative technologies and the integration of renewable energy will not only diversify global energy supplies and be critical to meeting the world’s growing demand for electricity, but also offer U.S. manufacturers expansive commercial opportunities. Investment opportunities in global power markets are enormous. We are working to ensure that American companies are well-positioned for these new markets, especially in the fast growing emerging economies. We will continue to work for stable and transparent policy and regulatory frameworks to enable investments in national and regional markets. These markets offer economies of scale for U.S. exports in energy efficient, alternative, and renewable energy technologies.
The main external factor that could affect our work is whether the private sector can make the needed investments in energy infrastructure. This depends to a large extent on governments putting in place a sound energy sector regulatory framework and investment climate, but it also depends on market conditions and the capital that companies can commit. On the diplomatic side, if countries decide not to engage with international energy organizations, it could complicate efforts to strengthen those organizations.
Strategies for Achieving the Objective
To promote energy security, access to clean energy, and mitigate climate change by accelerating the transition to a cleaner global economy, State and USAID will support increased energy efficiency, better energy sector governance, improved energy access, stronger national and regional energy markets, and more public and private financing.
To make energy systems more efficient, commercially viable, and cleaner, State and USAID will support programs that enhance utility performance, reduce technical and commercial losses, and improve air quality. State and USAID will also support energy sector restructuring, increasing the global rate of energy efficiency, and expanding the contribution of renewable energy. This will require improved energy sector planning, including institutional capacity building, technical assistance and integrated resource planning. It will also require expanded collaborations and public-private partnerships with other countries in science, technology, and innovation in clean energy. This work further includes policy and regulatory enhancement and reform efforts to strengthen the investment climate for clean energy projects. State and USAID will also be responsive to changes in natural gas markets in order to increase global availability of this bridge fuel.
Gaining access to energy can transform lives, State and USAID will seek to increase access to reliable, affordable energy services for underserved rural and urban populations across the world. This will require accelerating development and scaling-up appropriate business and financing models for energy access. It also means supporting cross-sectoral development priorities, such as health, agriculture, and education.
State and USAID will also promote improved energy sector governance on the national level and internationally through the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Strengthening national and regional energy markets is another key step toward reaching this objective. State and USAID will contribute by advancing Presidential initiatives in Asia, the Americas, and Africa to deploy clean energy and expand cross-border trade in electricity. One initiative is Power Africa, which aims to double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa, initially focusing on six countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. We will also encourage international financial institutions and private sector companies to invest in power sector investments in sub-Saharan Africa. This requires mobilization of public and private sector finance. State and USAID will push for transparent and streamlined processes for due diligence, tendering, and procurement to accelerate power projects to reach financial close. State and USAID will also work for enhanced access to credit and risk mitigation.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
Enable economic growth concurrent with significant reductions in national emissions trajectories through 2020 and the longer term by supporting the development and implementation of low emission development strategies (LEDS). By the end of 2015, U.S. bilateral assistance under LEDS will reach at least 25 countries (from the previous baseline of 22 countries) and will result in the achievement of at least 45 major individual country milestones, each reflecting a significant, measureable improvement in that country’s development or implementation of LEDS. Also by the end of 2015, at least 1,200 additional developing country government officials and practitioners (from a baseline of 0) will strengthen their LEDS capacity through participation in the LEDS Global Partnership and that capacity will be meaningfully applied to 25 countries (from a baseline of 0).
Description:
The focus of this Agency Priority Goal (APG) is to enable economic growth concurrent with significant reductions in national emissions trajectories through 2020 and the longer term by supporting the development and implementation of low emission development strategies (LEDS). Specifically, this APG measures the progress of Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) and the multilateral Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP).
Through EC-LEDS, a multiagency U.S. Government team is working with partner countries to identify and advance effective economy-wide LEDS.
The LEDS Global Partnership is a multilateral platform for enhanced coordination, information exchange, and cooperation among countries and international programs working to advance low emission climate resilient growth that the U.S. State Department founded.
Low-emission, climate-resilient sustainable economic growth is highlighted as a U.S. diplomatic and development priority in the U.S. National Security Strategy, the President’s development policy, the President’s Climate Action Plan, and the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review.
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objective:
Building on Strong Domestic Action, Lead International Actions to Combat Climate Change
Statement:
Description:
Addressing climate change successfully demands action at home and more intensive engagement with other countries. Domestically, by 2020, the United States plans to meet its commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels.
Internationally, as a result of recent progress in negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international climate regime now reflects pledges through 2020 by more than 80 countries constituting about 80 percent of global emissions, including the world’s major emitters, and holds countries accountable for their actions through regular and robust reporting and reviews. In December 2015, the 195 countries party to the UNFCCC are to conclude a new agreement addressing the global climate response in the post-2020 era. This will be a major milestone in the effort to combat climate change over the next two decades. Simultaneously, we will enhance engagement bilaterally, plurilaterally, and multilaterally to deliver results that will contribute to an ambitious and effective global response to climate change, through 2020 and beyond.
External factors that could affect our efforts include negotiating stances of other countries and domestic actions some countries take to combat climate change. The private sector plays a major role, as investment decisions such as the choice of technologies for new power generation and design of new cars and trucks can have a climate impact for years to come. Also, partnering with countries to encourage a low-emissions development path will be more successful when working with foreign governments that make combating climate change a priority.
Strategies for Achieving the Objective
Through the President’s Climate Action Plan, the President’s Global Climate Change Initiative, and USAID’s Climate Change and Development Strategy, the United States has made low-emissions, climate-resilient sustainable economic growth a priority in our diplomacy and development. Our efforts involve two major areas of engagement: (1) lowering the atmospheric accumulation rate of greenhouse gases that cause climate change; and (2) helping societies anticipate and incorporate plans for responding to potential climate change impacts. The United States is leading efforts to address climate change through international climate negotiations while enhancing multilateral and bilateral engagement with major economies. It is also enhancing partnerships with other key countries and regions. The U.S. is focusing its efforts on actions that support a successful global approach to climate change, as reflected in discussions leading up to the Paris climate conference in 2015, and for subsequent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) sessions. These efforts deliver results that contribute to an ambitious and effective global response to climate change to the year 2020 and beyond.
The U.S. is building partnerships to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants and from deforestation. For example, the U.S. works to secure a global phase-down of hydro-fluoro-carbons through the Montreal Protocol. If implemented, this could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 90 gigatons of CO2 equivalent by 2050. The U.S. is also building capacity for countries to undertake low-emission development policies. This work includes assisting countries to increase their capacity for cross-sector planning and formulating sectoral policies for low-emissions growth. Other efforts aim to expand clean energy generation and transmission and to increase energy efficiency while phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption. This requires mobilizing public and private investments in cleaner energy, implementing enhanced land-use practices, and building public-private partnerships that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
The Department of State and USAID’s climate-smart agriculture efforts involve implementing technologies that increase climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. State and USAID are also working to promote sustainable land uses, which combine climate change mitigation and resilience with long-term growth. Additionally, State and USAID support adaptation planning processes in vulnerable countries and communities by developing support tools that use climate science and improve access to data. These integrate climate data into planning decisions. They also strengthen public participation in climate change planning, especially by women, vulnerable populations, indigenous groups, and minorities. State and USAID back actions that increase climate resilience with respect to water security, land management, disaster planning, financial risk management, and management of biodiversity and natural resources.
The United States supports bilateral and multilateral programs by working with the most vulnerable communities, least developed and developing nations, and the major greenhouse gas emitters. Among the programs and efforts to achieve their overall climate change objectives, State and USAID have chosen to highlight efforts to support Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) as a cross-cutting Agency Priority Goal. Through LEDS assistance, State and USAID seek to guide policy-makers in analyzing, formulating, and making policy decisions enabling them to develop along a lower emission pathway, which contributes to greenhouse gas reduction efforts. The main program for providing LEDS Assistance, the Enhancing Capacity for LEDS (EC-LEDS) program is a unique State and USAID partnership that blends their respective strengths in diplomacy and development. EC-LEDS stands as a key element of U.S. climate assistance, alongside their critical efforts including: (1) the Major Economies Forum; (2) Clean Energy Ministerial; (3) Climate and Clean Air Coalition; (4) Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA)2020; and (5) a range of multilateral funds, such as the Clean Investment Funds and funds focusing on adaptation such as the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement: Enable economic growth concurrent with significant reductions in national emissions trajectories through 2020 and the longer term by supporting the development and implementation of low emission development strategies (LEDS). By the end of 2015, U.S. bilateral assistance under LEDS will reach at least 25 countries (from the previous baseline of 22 countries) and will result in the achievement of at least 45 major individual country milestones, each reflecting a significant, measureable improvement in that country’s development or implementation of LEDS. Also by the end of 2015, at least 1,200 additional developing country government officials and practitioners (from a baseline of 0) will strengthen their LEDS capacity through participation in the LEDS Global Partnership and that capacity will be meaningfully applied to 25 countries (from a baseline of 0).
Description: The focus of this Agency Priority Goal (APG) is to enable economic growth concurrent with significant reductions in national emissions trajectories through 2020 and the longer term by supporting the development and implementation of low emission development strategies (LEDS). Specifically, this APG measures the progress of Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) and the multilateral Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP). Through EC-LEDS, a multiagency U.S. Government team is working with partner countries to identify and advance effective economy-wide LEDS. The LEDS Global Partnership is a multilateral platform for enhanced coordination, information exchange, and cooperation among countries and international programs working to advance low emission climate resilient growth that the U.S. State Department founded. Low-emission, climate-resilient sustainable economic growth is highlighted as a U.S. diplomatic and development priority in the U.S. National Security Strategy, the President’s development policy, the President’s Climate Action Plan, and the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review.
