Analytical framework to evaluate the level of integration of climate adaptation and mitigation in cities

Abstract

Reduction of carbon emissions and climate-resilience in cities are becoming important objectives to be achieved in order to ensure sustainable urban development pathways. Traditionally, cities have treated climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in isolation, without addressing their potential synergies, conflicts or trade-offs. Recent studies have shown that this can lead to inefficiencies in urban planning, conflicting policy objectives and lost opportunities for synergistic actions. However, in the last few years, we have observed that cities are increasingly moving towards addressing both mitigation and adaptation in urban planning. Cities need to pay particular attention and understand the rationale of both policy objectives whilst considering the integration of the two policies in urban planning and decision-making. This study presents an analytical framework to evaluate the level of integration of climate mitigation and adaptation in cities' local climate action plans. We tested this framework in nine selected major cities, representatives from all inhabited continents, which are frontrunners in climate action both in their regions and globally. We applied the framework in order to evaluate the level of mitigation and adaptation integration in cities' CCAPs and further explored the different types of mitigation-adaptation interrelationships that have been considered. A scoring system was also devised in order to allow comparing and ranking of the different CCAPs for their level of integration of adaptation and mitigation. The paper draws good practices to support cities in developing climate change action plans in an integrated way.

Integration of mitigation and adaptation in urban climate change action plans in Europe: A systematic assessment

“…Grafakos and colleagues [41] developed an evaluation framework of variables and a scoring system in relation to mitigation-adaptation the identifying and understanding stage, ii) the envisioning and planning stage, and iii) the implementation and monitoring stage. The framework was tested in a small number of global cities (9) emphasizing the need for broader application of the evaluation framework in order to assess and compare the level of integration of adaptation and mitigation in different cities' CCAPs.…”

“…Against this background, the aim of this paper is to identify interrelationships between adaptation and mitigation (i.e. co-benefits, synergies, trade-offs and conflicts) and evaluate the level of integration of these two typeset al [41]. Out of the overall 885 European CCAPs that were analyzed by Reckien and colleagues [7], the 147 CCAPs that currently combine adaptation and mitigation policies were evaluated.…”

Heading towards an unsustainable world: some of the implications of not achieving the SDGs

“…Detrimental production patterns will also impact greenhouse gas emissions [ 59 ] Failing in limiting global warming, the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere and the global temperature would entail catastrophic consequences to social systems, to the economy and to the environment, especially due to extreme weather events. Several studies point out these consequences [ 60 , 61 ], which include sea-level rise and heat waves More resources would be needed to work on mitigation, especially if not invested previously on resilience and adaptation [ 62 , 63 ] Marine life would be endangered due to ocean acidity (that can rise to 100–150% by 2100) [ 34 ] and marine pollution. It would also affect the ocean’s role to moderate climate change (attributable to the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide) causing more impacts on water, including sea-level rise By not encouraging sustainable use of oceans and preserving coastal and marine areas, part of marine biodiversity would be in severe risk of extinction [ 64 , 65 ] Not protecting biodiversity and territorial ecosystems would lead species to extinction (or risk of being extinct) [ 66 ].…”

“…More resources would be needed to work on mitigation, especially if not invested previously on resilience and adaptation [ 62 , 63 ]…”

Mobilising Private Adaptation Finance: Lessons Learned From the Green Climate Fund

“…We rst identi ed the level of private sector engagement of each project proposal using the criteria introduced in Table 1. This analytical criteria-based approach draws on existing methodology in climate nance literature and (multi-)criteria scoring systems that allow for comparisons and ranking (Grafakos, et al, 2019) (Lee, et al, 2014). To source the right information, all proposals were read in their entirety with a particular focus on the main project activities (section C.3: "Project / Programme Description") and stakeholders.…”