Climate-Informed Decisions

Global trajectories for reducing carbon emissions depend on the local adoption of alternatives to conventional energy sources, technologies, and urban development. Yet, decisions on which type of capital investments to make, made by local governments as part of the normal budget cycle, typically do not incorporate climate considerations. Furthermore, current academic and professional literature specific to climate change draws attention to decision-making tools that would require access to technical expertise, data, and financial support that may not be practical for cities in low- and middle-income countries. Arguably, the methodologies most able to effect this transformation will be those that are convenient and affordable to administer, and that offer straight-forward low carbon alternatives to traditional forms of infrastructure investment. Current methodologies for capital investment planning that do not take climate change into consideration can result in prioritization of investments that diverge from a low carbon path and a potential missed opportunity to reap financial benefits from efficiency gains. This paper concludes that relatively minor alterations to common procedures can reveal the trade-offs and local benefits of low carbon alternatives in the capital investment planning process. This paper was written as an input to the preparation of the Climate-Informed Capital Investment Planning Guidebook, a how-to guide for local government staff, which will be published in 2015.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Whittington, Jan, Lynch, Catherine
Format: Working Paper biblioteca
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2015-07
Subjects:GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS, CARBON SOURCES, ENERGY REDUCTIONS, REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, GREENHOUSE GAS ABATEMENT COST, POWER PLANTS, ECONOMIC GROWTH, TEMPERATURE, CARBON DIOXIDE, FOSSIL FUELS, AIR QUALITY, ABSORPTION, MONETARY ECONOMICS, GAS TURBINES, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, INCOME, CARBON, FINANCIAL RESOURCES, WIND, CLEAN ENERGY, EMISSIONS, COST‐BENEFIT ANALYSIS, REVENUES, PORTFOLIO, EMISSION COEFFICIENTS, ATMOSPHERE, CARBON‐INTENSITY, ENERGY DATA, MODELS, GAS, GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION, GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, CARBON ABATEMENT, MARGINAL ABATEMENT, SOLAR RADIATION, GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION, EMISSION REDUCTIONS, AIR, GREENHOUSE GAS, CLIMATE‐PROTECTION, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION INVENTORIES, RADIATION, ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, CARBON FOOTPRINT, FISCAL POLICIES, CO2, POWER GENERATION, EMISSION FACTOR, EFFICIENCY GAINS, ENERGY SOURCES, ACCESS TO FINANCING, WATER TREATMENT, CAPACITY, GHG, CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, GLOBAL WARMING, GREENHOUSE‐GAS, MARKETS, CARBON‐EMISSIONS, CARBON ECONOMY, CARBON EMISSIONS, CLIMATE CHANGE, CARBON SINK, GAS EMISSIONS, FUELS, ABATEMENT COST, FINANCE, GREENHOUSE GASES, LAND USE, INVESTMENT DECISIONS, EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, EMISSION, GREENHOUSE, CONSUMPTION, ENERGY SECURITY, ECOSYSTEM, TAX CREDIT, LEAD, GREENHOUSE GAS ABATEMENT, METHANE GAS, CARBON EQUIVALENT, POLICIES, IPCC, GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS, VALUE, RESOURCE ECONOMICS, ELECTRICITY, WIND POWER, CLIMATE, EMISSION TARGETS, DEMAND, ABATEMENT, FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS, FOREST SERVICE, CARBON SUPPLY, CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, EMISSION FACTORS, SINK, FOREST, CATALYSTS, CLIMATE PROTECTION, MARGINAL ABATEMENT COST, GLOBAL EMISSIONS, ENERGY USE, MARKET, ECONOMIC THEORY, ANTHROPOGENIC EMISSIONS, POLICY, EMISSIONS INVENTORIES, GAS EMISSION, GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORIES, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENERGY DEMAND, CARBON REDUCTIONS, NATURAL GAS, CAPITAL COST, OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, COMBUSTION, ENERGY‐EFFICIENCY, COAL, FINANCIAL MARKETS, ALLOCATION, SUPPLY, GAS‐EMISSIONS, CARBON INVENTORIES, LESS, GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY, INVESTMENTS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, METHANE, GREENHOUSE‐GAS‐EMISSIONS, WIND TURBINES, RENEWABLE‐ENERGY, RENEWABLE ENERGY, GASES, CAPITAL COSTS, BENEFITS, ENERGY,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/07/24840744/climate-informed-decisions-capital-investment-plan-mechanism-lowering-carbon-emissions
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/22467
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Summary:Global trajectories for reducing carbon emissions depend on the local adoption of alternatives to conventional energy sources, technologies, and urban development. Yet, decisions on which type of capital investments to make, made by local governments as part of the normal budget cycle, typically do not incorporate climate considerations. Furthermore, current academic and professional literature specific to climate change draws attention to decision-making tools that would require access to technical expertise, data, and financial support that may not be practical for cities in low- and middle-income countries. Arguably, the methodologies most able to effect this transformation will be those that are convenient and affordable to administer, and that offer straight-forward low carbon alternatives to traditional forms of infrastructure investment. Current methodologies for capital investment planning that do not take climate change into consideration can result in prioritization of investments that diverge from a low carbon path and a potential missed opportunity to reap financial benefits from efficiency gains. This paper concludes that relatively minor alterations to common procedures can reveal the trade-offs and local benefits of low carbon alternatives in the capital investment planning process. This paper was written as an input to the preparation of the Climate-Informed Capital Investment Planning Guidebook, a how-to guide for local government staff, which will be published in 2015.