Publication: The Power of Cities: Harnessing Low-carbon Urbanization for Climate Action
Loading...
Files in English
407 downloads
Date
2023-11-28
ISSN
Published
2023-11-28
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Extensive transformations of urban areas in rapidly urbanizing developing countries can be a powerful vehicle for advancing low-carbon urban growth that supports global decarbonization goals. The scale of urban growth in these countries underscores the need to pursue low-carbon urbanization pathways and avoid carbon-intensive development. The report highlights the urgency to integrate low-carbon urbanization priorities into countries’ national climate change strategies, especially their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Low-GHG Emission Development Strategies (LTSs), which often overlook the mitigation potential of urban systems, and outlines the opportunities to leverage them as bridges between national decarbonization and urban development goals. As countries strive to embed climate action into their development planning, incorporating low-carbon urban growth agenda into NDCs and LTSs can signal political commitment, foster coordination with local stakeholders, facilitate access to finance, and enable effective implementation. It can also help leverage the potential of urban climate action and its spillover effects to achieve national (and global) climate goals and progressively raise ambition. The integration process should account for differences across countries and their urban areas, including financial and technical capacities, and challenges of rapid urbanization such as infrastructure deficits and high levels of urban informality. The report attempts to identify integrative solutions to address key barriers to integration related to countries’ policy frameworks and institutional structures; finance mobilization efforts; evidence-based policy processes; and tracking systems and proposes a Readiness Diagnostic Framework to help identify efforts needed at both national and city levels to pursue such integration. Additionally, it offers a Guide for Selecting Urban Diagnostic Tools and Models to enhance evidence-based urban climate policy processes in rapidly urbanizing countries.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Platonova-Oquab, Alexandrina; Shenvi, Apoorva. 2023. The Power of Cities: Harnessing Low-carbon Urbanization for Climate Action. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/40635 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2014(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014-05-28)This report follows the evolution of carbon pricing around the world. Last year's report mapped the main carbon pricing initiatives. This year the report presents the status of each of these developing initiatives and explores the emerging trends of carbon pricing. The focus is on the recent highlights from around the world and on key lessons that can be drawn from the growing experience. Despite the difficult ongoing international climate negotiations, there is an increased focus on climate change policy and several economies are planning, implementing or refining domestic mitigation actions. These activities take careful note of past experiences, mirroring successes and dealing with weaknesses. About 40 national and over 20 sub-national jurisdictions are putting a price on carbon. Together these carbon pricing instruments cover almost 6 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e), or about 12 percent of the annual global GHG emissions. Cooperation remains a key feature of success The international market has been struggling for some time. However, the current spate of domestic action has been buoyed by growing cooperation among regional, national and sub-national stakeholders. Piloting and scaling up carbon pricing on an international level and increasing climate finance through market-based mechanisms is an important first step. The next challenge will be to create a product that is greater than the sum of its parts by converting fragmented initiatives into internationally integrated carbon pricing approaches.Publication CDM Reform(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012)The scope of the present study focuses on the assessment of opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the clean development mechanism (CDM) through the enhanced use of standardization. The study argues that the introduction of the concept of standardized baselines to the CDM can substantially change the way the CDM develops. The goal of the present study is to discuss what the options are for driving the idea of standardization further. The working hypothesis is that baseline standardization alone may not be sufficient in that regard but can be seen as a starting point for improving the CDM through the enhanced use of standardization at other levels of CDM procedures. The study examines how standardization can be used to simplify CDM procedures throughout the project cycle and to extend the scope of the CDM in a way that improves access of underrepresented sectors and regions. The paper is divided into three chapters. The first chapter sets the scene by analyzing in detail procedural imperfections of the CDM that can be addressed through extending standardization to project cycle procedures. The second chapter discusses new opportunities that standardization could provide to the CDM reform. The third chapter of the study analyzes if and how standardization can enable policy-driven actions to generate carbon credits under the CDM. The chapter also assesses the ways standardization can help overcome the remaining barriers to better incorporate the CDM in host countries low carbon development policies, and to inform the development of new market mechanisms.Publication World Bank Group Climate Change Action Plan 2016-2020(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-06-07)Climate change poses an enormous challenge to development. By 2050, the world will have to feed 9 billion people, extend housing and services to 2 billion new urban residents, and provide universal access to affordable energy, and do so while bringing down global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that make a sustainable future possible. At the same time, floods, droughts, sea-level rise, threats to water and food security and the frequency of natural disasters will intensify, threatening to push 100 million more people into poverty in the next 15 years alone. Countries are now moving with increasing urgency to develop more sustainable energy and transport systems, strengthen the resilience of their cities, and prepare people, public services and infrastructure for climate shocks to come. More than 180 countries submitted pledges on climate action – the Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs – in the run-up to the historic Paris Agreement at COP21 in December 2015. To help countries meet this challenge, the World Bank Group today adopted a new Climate Change Action Plan, which lays out concrete actions to help countries deliver on their NDCs and sets ambitious targets for 2020 in high-impact areas, including clean energy, green transport, climate-smart agriculture, and urban resilience, as well as in mobilizing the private sector to expand climate investments in developing countries.Publication Promoting Energy Access Projects under the Clean Development Mechanism : Standardized Baselines and Suppressed Demand(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-01)New concepts under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), namely standardized baselines and suppressed demand, should facilitate the implementation of CDM energy access projects, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), by reducing transaction costs and reflecting the real emission reductions achieved. Governments and authorities in LDCs can play a prominent role in making these new CDM opportunities available. The improvement of the regulatory framework can facilitate the development of innovative carbon-based financing schemes required for successful scaling-up of CDM energy access projects in LDCs. The main purpose of this paper is to outline how the new CDM concepts of standardized baselines and suppressed demand may be used to promote energy access projects under the CDM, in the context of new and expanded role of host country Designated National Authorities (DNAs). In the process, the paper also identifies challenges in the use of these concepts and opportunities for further simplification. By way of illustration, one specific energy access technology, solar home systems, is analyzed in detail. The paper is organized as follows: chapter one is introduction; chapter two provides an overview of the current status of CDM projects in LDCs; chapter three introduces energy access projects in LDCs; chapter four outlines new approaches under the CDM for energy access projects; chapter five goes into the challenges for the application of standardized baselines in LDCs; and chapter six gives recommendations on implementing the new CDM concepts.Publication Environmental Fiscal Reform in Morocco(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-04-25)In response to the request from the Ministry of Environment and in close collaboration of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the World Bank Group, with support from the Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR) and the NDC Support Facility, provided technical support to Morocco aimed at exploring the opportunities offered by environmental fiscal reform (EFR), such as that incorporating carbon pricing, to strengthen green growth. As part of this support, the WBG has assessed carbon pricing options that could be appropriate for Morocco and simulated their selected economic impacts with macroeconomic model in collaboration with the Research and Forecast Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF) of Morocco. This report outlines the key considerations for policy-makers in Morocco and presents a preliminary finding from modelling conducted by the MoEF in collaboration with the WBG, as well as identifies the needs for the secondary analysis. As part of its national development strategy, Morocco is implementing and planning further reforms of its fiscal systems, energy sector, industrial structure, as well as an ambitious climate change action as per the objectives of the Nationally Determined Contribution. This note explores whether and how these reforms might be supported by aligning fiscal incentives with sectoral policy objectives to accelerate the rate of future growth while reducing its carbon emission intensity. Environmental fiscal reforms (EFRs) are a collection of changes to tax, expenditure, and other policies which collectively seek to raise national development and welfare. This report explores potential options for implementing an environmental fiscal reform (EFR) as part of Morocco’s broader economic strategy and tests the impacts of these options with the Morocco’s CGE model. It is structured as follows. The second section discusses Morocco’s national development challenges and the strategic policy goals, where EFR can play a role. The third section provides an overview of options for EFR in Morocco, as identified by the World Bank Group team and national experts, including (i) modifications of fuel tax structure (TICs) to better reflect social costs of fuel use, (ii) butane subsidy reform, or (iii) more direct environmental pricing through taxes or emissions trading. The fourth section introduces the CGE model for Morocco, used by the DEPF, and simulates impacts of several potential EFR design options identified in the previous section. It also discusses the limitations of the existing CGE model to reflect the impacts of the EFR, and in this context analyzes the results of scenario analysis conducted with the CGE model. The fifth and final section concludes.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Adaptation of the Calculator of Social and Environmental Impacts from Small-Scale Gold Mining in the Amazon(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-11-09)Over the past decade, illegal gold extraction has increased significantly in the Amazon region, partly due to the high international prices of this mineral, the less stringent attitude of some countries in relation to the environment and the pursuit of immediate economic opportunities. Furthermore, this illicit activity is closely intertwined with other illegal practices, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and the trafficking of endangered species. This has repercussions not just for the region's ecological wealth, but also for the physical well-being of those safeguarding their lands and the health of communities living in proximity to the extraction zones due to the contamination of their rivers and, consequently, their primary sources of food, such as fish. Despite the international effort to recognize the socio-environmental repercussions of this activity, there are still gaps on this issue, mainly due to the economic losses that this activity represents.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Dominican Republic Poverty Assessment 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-11-08)In recent decades, economic growth in the Dominican Republic (DR) has been steady. However, growth has not occurred in such a way as to make the benefits widely and evenly available. In fact, although the DR economy grew faster than that of other LAC countries before the Covid-19 pandemic, its poverty rates and social outcomes remain broadly similar to them. This report seeks to explain this conundrum, as well as to expand the knowledge base to improve the effectiveness of ongoing poverty reduction policies in the DR. The Poverty Assessment draws primarily on new analytical work conducted in the DR, structured around four background notes on: (i) trends in monetary poverty and inequality, as well as the key drivers of those changes; (ii) nonmonetary poverty and its spatial dimensions; (iii) social assistance programs and their role in mitigating poverty; and (iv) climate change and its interaction with poverty. By helping to reduce the evidence gap in each of these areas, our analysis hopes to inform government policies and the national dialogue on poverty reduction. In addition, the note integrates existing analytical work and evidence produced inside and outside the Bank, including from its operations in the country.Publication Unlocking Blue Carbon Development(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-11)The purpose of this paper is to provide a practical framework to guide governments in catalyzing and scaling up public and private investment in Blue Carbon as part of their blue economy development. It does this by describing in detail a Blue Carbon Readiness Framework, a step-by-step, well-illustrated guide with simple checklists. Client countries can use the illustrations and checklists to determine their readiness to catalyze and scale up investment in blue carbon credit finance. The Blue Carbon Readiness Framework consists of three pillars: 1. Data and Analytics; 2. Policy and Institutions; 3. Finance.Publication The Critical Link(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-29)As the conduit between power demand and supply, the utilities that operate the world's transmission and distribution networks will be the critical link in the energy transition. Utilities will need to expand and modernize their networks to integrate variable renewable energy sources and meet growing demands for cleaner and more flexible power. According to the International Energy Association (IEA), the equivalent of the entire length of the world's grid networks will need to be added or refurbished by 2040 if countries are to achieve their energy and climate goals: As the off-takers of power generation, utilities need to be financially viable to enable the coming massive scale-up of investment in renewable energy projects and grid infrastructure. Utilities will also need to lead the way in providing access to electricity to the nearly 700 million people who still lack it today, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, utilities will need to serve consumers with ever-more varied and complex power needs and an increasing range of distributed generation options, such as rooftop solar. In short, power utilities will be the critical enablers of the energy transition and achieving universal access. This paper aims to place the need for sustainable utilities in lower-income countries (LICs) and middle-income countries (MICs) at the heart of the energy sector dialogue. The focus of this paper is on the utilities that manage power transmission or distribution grids.