Transparency And Climate Change

Transparency refers to the clarity and visibility of the work done in climate action. It is clearness in the processes and efforts in the climate fight. Because the nature of climate change is that it is a global challenge, it needs a concerted worldwide effort to deal with it.

This necessitates all hands on deck, and internationally the governing body, the UNFCCC, follows the principle of common but different responsibilities and the cutting of emissions according to respective capabilities. That is, everyone should carry out mitigation, but as according to their levels of emissions. Therefore big emitters should cut more and so on. Consequently all efforts to implement the purposes of the UN convention on climate change should be transparent and clear.

Transparency is an important part of the climate fight, being involved in practically every aspect of climate action. In emissions reduction, it is necessary for every concerned party to openly see that polluting entities are clearly taking steps to cut emissions in reality and it’s not just talk. To be absolutely clear, if countries which are the biggest sources of greenhouse emissions would in reality take concrete steps to cut emissions, a big part of the climate fight would be won. That is, if the walk matched the talk, the world could collectively breathe a sigh of relief that we are making progress on all the agreements and climate pacts instituted to date.

photo courtesy of cyprianolawvia/iwaria

The first and most important goal of the Paris Agreement was to keep warming this century beneath 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels but even better 1.5 degrees. This will need far reaching emission cuts, which are possible, but which need political will. Only in this way will we avoid truly serious effects of climate change especially for the most vulnerable.

To start with, all signatories of the agreement deposit a climate plan called ‘nationally determined contribution’ with their intentions to cut emissions. Transparency is employed to assess whether this is actually taking place. Normally, under the convention and Kyoto Protocol, developed countries deposit a biennial report (BR) on progress in attaining their climate goals. Developing nations deposit a biennial update report (BUR) on the same.

But under the Paris Agreement, both groups are expected to deposit a biennial transparency report (BTR) containing a variety of things that have to undergo assessment or review by technical experts as well as peer countries. This is in order to see whether what was in the NDC matches the actions being undertaken in the transparency report. The first such report will be produced by each national entity in 2024. That is, NDCs are not subject to review but their implementation in the BTR is.

BTRs are part of the enhanced transparency framework (ETF), which under Paris 2015 takes over from the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRVs) processes that were undertaken under the convention. In terms of transparency, every other party not under the agreement but a convention signatory continues with the MRVs as normal.

The BTRs are guided by certain rules referred to as modalities, procedures and guidelines (mpgs) that determine the outline and content, and the particular methods used in reporting. In 2021 in Glasgow the rules for common reporting tables and formats were finally agreed upon.

Usually, transparency includes national communications (NCs), a document that contains inventories of all greenhouse gases that are not part of the Montreal protocol. NCs are mandatory and will continue to be generated every four years by parties and in future can be part of the BTR or not. National communications by developed countries undergo review but those by developing countries do not.

Greenhouse gas inventories are another area involving transparency. Developed countries must submit an annual inventory of greenhouse gases under its territory. This is emissions and removals (sources/sinks), each category of greenhouse gas, percentages and mitigation. Availability of this information provides clarity and direction into trends and patterns on emissions. Globally, it becomes possible to calculate the amount of emissions per sector, nationally, and in total. For all parties under Paris 2015, inventories are to be submitted with the BTRs under the new rules (mpgs) for the ETF. This document undergoes review.

The UN Climate Change Secretariat will come up with a common reporting tool to be used for this purpose by all countries by the end of the first half of 2024.

Another document detailing transparency is an annex on forest conservation and sustainable use of forest resources (REDD+) submitted by developing countries on forest mitigation. It goes through a technical assessment and is useful for carbon markets.

Adaptation is the second pillar of climate action. In an already warming world which will continue thus in the long term, the entire world needs to learn how to live in a changing climate. Information on adaptation efforts undertaken nationally shows the severity of climate change impacts and can better inform on successes and failures and therefore preparedness. For example, it aids with formation of better early warning systems or sensitization on shifting ways of earning a livelihood. Adaptation communications are submitted to the secretariat, and going forward can be a part of BTRs but are not reviewed.

Finance flows are important because climate finance is needed in mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. Climate change agreements have underscored the need for climate finance to developing countries to help them cope with the worst effects of climate change, and to help them pivot or grow their economy in a green manner. Transparent information on finance flows will truly reveal if any of these financial pledges which have been given over and over again, have been met. It will also justify the flow of finance (reasons why) to different countries or sectors, either for mitigation or adaptation, as well as the results of actions taken. Transparency here will show clearly if indeed the resources are making a difference or being used for the right purpose.

Capacity building is another part. There needs to be a lot of education and creation of awareness around climate change, and also the building up of technical capacity to handle and deal with different aspects of climate change. Public education campaigns, sensitization and training experts in climate reporting is important for climate action. Bringing clarity in this issue will help to measure and report results in a verifiable manner. Both are reported under financial, technology transfer and capacity building section of the BTRs especially by developed countries.

In other ways, all reports and document pertaining climate action, mitigation and adaptation are found in publicly accessible registries run by the UNFCCC.

In general, availing data on efforts to fight climate change goes a long way to further aid the effort.

Some of the benefits of transparency include building trust. As mentioned earlier, the climate fight is a joint effort, so each country needs to see that others are putting in the work and not leaving the task to someone else. It also ensures that we are all working towards a similar goal and not at cross-purposes.

Being transparent about various areas helps add knowledge and exchange of ideas because we learn from one another on the best methods employed and their effectiveness. More data enlarges the pool of knowledge available which can also be used in climate modelling and forecasts. It will help in accurate analysis of the physical markers of climate change and whether we are headed to a low carbon pathway or not.

It will cut out false and misleading reports about climate action because reviews will generally establish and verify whether the NDCs, BTRs and the situation on the ground all agree.

It will determine real climate ambition.

Transparency reports are also the basis on which more ambitious NDCs can be crafted. When measuring whether NDC targets are met, this information can help inform the progressive ratcheting up of ambition as outlined by Paris 2015.

Not only this, but transparency reports and reviews better aid joint cooperation because some countries may desire to work together in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

This information can also be used in cooperation and trade in carbon markets, thereby increasing climate finance flows and boosting mitigation efforts.

Formulation of more precise policies is a benefit of clearness. Climate regulations, laws and agreements need a sound basis in order to be effective. Transparency gives a better understanding of different situations and informs crafting of more targeted initiatives.

It shows gaps that need to be addressed in climate action. In as much as transparency shows what we are doing right, it also shows where we are going wrong. It gives better direction at where more effort and resources are needed. That is, it shows progress taking place but identifies areas where more emphasis is needed because of lagging behind.

Inasmuch as it builds trust, transparency shows which regions in the world are not putting their shoulder to the work and need to up their efforts. In short, it keeps everyone accountable.

It’s also a basis for asking for technical help and assistance. A good portion of transparency in terms of reporting, verification and reviews is technical work. And transparency provides a good foundation for requests for assistance and training. You can ask for further cooperation and help.

Transparency is necessary for the global stocktaking process which basically analyses the trajectory we have taken in terms of climate change. It shows the direction the world is taking and the progress we have made in climate action when compared to the initial targets and goals set primarily by Paris 2015. The world needs peaking of emission as fast as possible so that they can start falling. For the first temperature goal of 1.5 degrees, this needs to be by 2025 if carbon neutrality (net zero) is to be attained by 2050.

In the same way transparency shines a light on mitigation and adaptation, it also gives sound basis for the continued agitation for loss and damage issues to be addressed.

Transparency processes under the BTR and MRV can be supported by the Global Environment Facility upon request.

Training of experts for the same is also an ongoing process.

Above all, the information availed can be used to hold political leaders responsible in terms of climate action. It’s possible to ask tough questions because there’s the necessary proof needed to support it.