IMPACT is a cross-cutting, multi-faceted project that is implemented by a wide range of institutions in three regions – the Pacific, West Africa and the Caribbean. It aims to strengthen capacities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to co-develop scientific outputs and knowledge products and to support relevant actors to make use of them in the development and implementation of transformational climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Our approach also aims to enhance access to international climate finance and better equip SIDS and LDCs in engaging in UNFCCC negotiations.
IMPACT is funded by the German Ministry of Environment as part of its International Climate Initiative.
The Adaptation Map provides an overview of adaptation actions that have been taken by 11 countries in West Africa and the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since 2010.
Its main purpose is to act as a library, fostering inter-regional learning on adaptation action. The map includes policies, strategies, programs and projects. Adaptation actions are categorised by country (regional actions are also included) and by sector.
The current round of national emission reduction pledges (Nationally Determined Contributions/NDCs) will lead to about 3°C of warming by the end of the century.
This tool shows the additional economic damages Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) face in a 3°C world compared with 1.5°C, the limit set out in the Paris Agreement.
Other tools developed under IMPACT can be found here.
This page provides background material and key resources, including scientific studies and briefing material relating to progress on Loss and Damage under the UNFCCC.
Loss and Damage refers to the impacts of climate change that can no longer be avoided through adaptation or mitigation. It is one of the key issues for vulnerable countries, the stakeholders of the IMPACT project, who have contributed the least to climate change.
IMPACT supports SIDS and LDCs in their call on the developed world to provide support to cope with Loss and Damage, which otherwise threatens their economies, cultures and the lives of their people.
For many years, small islands have called for the market mechanisms to go beyond offsetting to deliver measurable, net mitigation that the atmosphere actually sees: a real reduction in emissions.
Market mechanisms, or more broadly emission trading schemes, have been around for a long time, including, for example the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol. Ongoing negotiations on the rules for markets under the Paris Agreement provide an important moment to reflect on what we want markets to deliver, and to design a system that goes beyond simple offsetting.
The submission by the Alliance of Small Islands States lays out how market mechanisms should be designed.
One of the key aspects of our climate diplomacy work under IMPACT is to support negotiators, government ministries and delegates of a number of LDCs and SIDS in navigating and shaping the rules guiding of UNFCCC Funds, including the Green Climate Fund.
Since the establishment of the GCF in 2010, we have been supporting SIDS and LDC board members to sustain their active engagement and to enable them to participate equitably in the work of the board, including its technical panels and committees.
BLOG: The role of finance and investment in meeting the 1.5°C goal
Five key messages from the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C on the role of investments and finance for mitigation and adaptation, in particular for the most vulnerable countries.
For the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), continued engagement in negotiations on the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines is vital to ensure it reflects priorities, needs and the attainment of sustainable development for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries.
Regular, in-person engagement of the LDC Ministers and other high-level representatives has been critical in contributing to and influencing the Paris Agreement work programme. In October 2018, around 30 ministers and high-level representatives met in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, to prepare for the climate talks in Katowice, Poland. Climate Analytics has been supporting this process in recent years, also as part of the IMPACT project.
The building blocks for vital climate adaptation in small islands
Improving access to climate finance and increasing absorption of funding opportunities are integral to speeding up Small Island Developing States’ (SIDS) efforts to enhance adaptation and build long-term resilience to climate change. A recent “Writeshop” in Samoa, which brought together Pacific and Caribbean representatives to build on each other’s experiences, yielded a number of valuable lessons.
Where action on climate change, sustainable development and oceans intersects – Belize’s vision for AOSIS
“If we stand still we are at risk of losing our coasts, our reefs, our land and our food. This is as much a reality for Small Island Developing States as it is for the world,” said Ambassador Lois M. Young, launching Belize’s two-year term leading the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). The Caribbean nation’s vision for the Alliance, which turns 30 this year, focuses on ambitious action on climate change, sustainable development and oceans.
Glacial melt spells more trouble in the Himalayan LDCs
The recent landmark report on glacial melt in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region paints a drastic picture, indicating that the glaciers will melt by one third even if the global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C. However, the picture becomes even bleaker for the region’s Least Developed Countries, in which the report projects glaciers will recede by some 50% by the end of the century, spelling disaster for the poorest people living on the roof of the world.
Recent briefings produced under the IMPACT project:
This page is an information pool for material around the 1.5°C temperature limit in the Paris Agreement.
In collaboration with partner organisations, IMPACT organises regular workshops for stakeholders in the three regions – Pacific, Caribbean and West Africa, and holds regular meetings of its Advisory Committee during UNFCCC sessions. You can find more information, photos and reports from these workshops here.
We organise and support public events to share the latest scientific information about how climate change affects vulnerable countries to amplify their call for urgent and ambitious climate action. You can find more information, photos and presentations from events organised through the IMPACT project here.
Climate Analytics is part of the NDC Support Cluster, established by the German Ministry of Environment as part of its International Climate Initiative (ICI), which aims to promote coordinated consultations and maximise synergies in the partner countries. Organisations connected with implementing agencies from all regions exchange and cooperate to deliver timely and tailored support to developing countries in the implementation of their NDCs.
In an analysis prepared for the NDC Partnership our experts looked into the recent developments in terms of NDCs submission and renewables deployment. They also outlined a number of instruments that can be utilised to decrease the gap between current emissions trends and the Paris Agreement compatible emissions pathways.
