Proceedings from the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Workshop

The specific objectives of the workshop were: 1) To consider how longer-term development priorities link with climate change concerns. 2) To identify options for meeting developing countries needs and priorities while contributing to sustainable development both locally and globally. 3) To discuss possible longer term action at domestic and international levels by countries to further the sustainable development and climate change discussion. First of all, it was recognised that there has been a strong support, endorsement, and agreement among all participants on using sustainable development as a framework for climate change olicies, and this agreement is very encouraging for further activities and collaboration. Furthermore, there is a need for new innovative international financial schemes taht can support sustainable development investments with large climate change benefits. This is maybe beyond the scope of the UNFCCC, but will maybe be more important than the convention in controlling global GHG emissions. It was several times emphasised in the discussion that capacity building and institutional strengthening in developning countries are needed to implement long-term global strategies. Several national examples of sustainable development policies with large impacts on climate change were given at the workshop. These include:
1) The ethanol programme of Brazil.
2) Energy efficiency programmes in China that are part of general economic development strategies.
3) Development of natural gas supply through investment in a pipeline project in Shanghai in China.
4) Energy efficiency and renewable energy programme in India that are linked to economic development programmes. Detailed national programmes for forestry, agriculture and land use sectors.
5) National development programmes including climate change policies in South Korea with broad stakeholder participation, and the use of market instruments.
6) The South Africa approach to use sustainable development indicators in relation project evaluations, and the establishment of a national climate change polity strategy that has a comprehensive list of sectoral climate change policy options.
7) Detailed GHG inventory and national report to the FCCC developed by Iran. (ln)