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.
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. |
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