The Second Asia Pacific Seminar on Climate Change - Section 5

5.REGIONAL STRATEGY ON CLIMATE CHANGE

(Item 7 of the agenda)

56. Mr. John C. Topping of the Climate Institute introduced the document entitled "Suggestions for an Interim Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy to Cope with Climate Change" and outlined various elements which should form part of the regional strategy. These elements include strengthening research and monitoring programs for predicting climate change; developing credible national emission inventories; undertaking impact assessments; identifying technology and policy options; selecting the most cost effective means for reducing emissions; ensuring adequate financial resources for emission reduction and sink enhancement and adaptation; strengthening regional institutions key to climate responses; and developing an institutional framework for implementing a regional strategy.

57. The Seminar recognized that regional strategy for combating climate change could be an effective tool for implementing the provisions of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and for developing common approaches on various related issues. It recommended that the regional strategy should basically address questions that need to be addressed for national-level actions. There may also be a need to divide the regional strategy into sections for sub-regions because monitoring activities in many cases would be more effectively undertaken on a sub-regional basis. Technology transfer was also identified as an important area of national and regional concern. The Seminar recommended that modalities for transfer of appropriate and cost-effective technology should receive serious attention for study at the regional and national levels. It also recognized that capacity building, primarily at the national level, is a prerequisite for launching effective programs for combating climate change.

58. The Seminar recognized that the framework of the regional strategy would be developed through the outputs of national case studies and deliberations at the seminar. The ESCAP secretariat will combine elements of national strategies to develop the regional strategy. The draft of the regional strategy would be transmitted to governments for their comments. The revised draft of the regional strategy could then be presented for consideration at the Third Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change, which is scheduled for early 1994 in Japan.

59. The success of implementing a regional strategy will largely depend upon economic incentives available at the local level. These incentives include enhancement of energy efficiency through technological modifications in energy intensive industries such as cement, steel, and chemical, coupled with policy reforms through pricing with the help of multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and ADB.

60. Findings of national studies should be developed and nurtured by regional institutions such as ESCAP or UNEP and discussed by regional members of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Framework Convention on Climate Change.