Transcript Regional Environmental Program

Funding Adaptation: Challenges and Opportunities
Orestes Anastasia
USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia
Cities at Risk: Building Adaptive Capacity of Managing Climate Change in Asia’s Coastal
Megacities – Bangkok, Feb. 28, 2009
Existing Policy Context
• US firmly committed to UNFCCC
• Byrd-Hagel: any treaty cannot damage the US economy;
must include all major emitters
• GCC linked to energy security, economic growth, poverty
reduction, and pollution reduction
New Policy Developments – Obama Administration
• Strong commitment to addressing energy and climate
change challenges
• New level of international engagement
• Review of US-led Initiatives under way
 Major Economies Process
 Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate
(APP)
We will need to engage in vigorous, creative diplomacy to
dramatically reduce emissions. And we will need to work with
vulnerable regions and countries to help them adapt to the
climate change that is already locked into the system. In the
years ahead, every large emitter will have to make major
changes in the way that they use energy and manage their
forests and lands. There is simply no other way to preserve a
safe and livable world for our children.
Todd Stern,
Special Envoy for Climate
Change, January 2009
Climate Change and USAID
• Climate change has implications for all areas of Foreign
Assistance Framework
 Democracy & Governance, Peace and Security, Investing in
People, Economic Growth, Humanitarian Assistance
• USAID currently spending ~$185m per year in forestry,
energy, and other GCC activities
 Budget increases are being considered, starting in 2010
• Emphasis on partnerships with the private sector
• Adaptation: To date, emphasis on integration of
adaptation objectives into existing programs
RDMA GCC Road Map
• Vision: To establish a planning framework for RDMA to
provide technical and strategic leadership in addressing
climate change and development in Asia
• Objective: During the period 2008 to 2012, RDMA will
implement a targeted and expanded program of work to
lead and support USAID actions to address climate
change in Asia’s economic development, in cooperation
with current and new partners
RDMA Objectives for Climate Change and Development
• GHG emissions reduced or sequestered as a result of
USG assistance
• Increased adaptive capacity to cope with impacts of
climate variability and change as a result of USG
assistance
• Increased economic welfare, especially in poor
populations
RDMA Priority Focus Areas
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Clean and Sustainable Energy
Forests and Land Use Change
Coastal Resilience and Coral Reefs
Regional Cross-Cutting Technical Assistance
Climate Vulnerability - Coastal Areas
Relative vulnerability of
coastal deltas as shown by
the indicative population
potentially displaced by
current sea-level trends to
2050
(Source: IPCC 2007)
Climate Vulnerability - Susceptibility to Sea-Level Rise
Climate Vulnerability - Susceptibility to Sea-Level Rise
Coastal Resilience and Coral Reefs
Assessment
• Climate change impacts are compounding human-induced damage to
coral reefs in Asia-Pacific
• Mega-deltas are highly vulnerable to increased frequency and level of
inundation due to sea level rise, storm surges, and floods from river
drainage
• New Coastal Community Resilience tools (US IOTWS Program)
Priority Activities
• Coral Triangle Initiative – coastal adaptation/resilience component
• Mekong Climate Initiative – possible future focus
Regional Cross-Cutting Technical Assistance
Assessment
• Lack of readily usable environmental information and forest data
• Lack of economic data and quality GHG inventories
• Lack of capacity to apply earth observations to development
• Expanding GCC programming in region
Proposed Activities
• Regional information sharing: Asia Regional Visualization and
Monitoring System (ARVMS)
Water Resource Vulnerability – Melting Glaciers
Cumulative total mass
balances of glaciers and ice
caps, reflecting rapid retreat
of Himalayan glaciers
(Source: IPCC 2008)
Water Resource Vulnerability – River Basins
Environmental Water Scarcity
Index by Basin
(Source: WRI, 2003)
Water Resources and Services
Assessment
• Expansion of severe water stress will be one of the most pressing
environmental problems in South and South-East Asia
• Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in anywhere else
and the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 is very high
(>90%)
• Promoting Sustainable Water Services in Asia
Priority Activities
• Promoting Sustainable Water Services in Asia
• Water Utility Risk Assessment and Planning