Technology is key to achieving the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement: Lower the emission of CO2 and halting the rise on global temperatures that threatens the livelihood of people everywhere in the world.
To enhance the development, transfer deployment and dissemination of technology UNEP DTU has assisted countries in their Technology Needs Assessments (TNA’s) since 2009. TNA’s support developing countries to determine their own climate technology needs so it is possible to define how best to accelerate low-emission, climate resilient and sustainable development.
Through two phases, UNEP DTU has worked with more than 60 countries and is now ready to start phase three, where another 23 countries will determine how technology can best help them. In phase three there is a special focus on least developed countries and small island developing states.
Living up to the Paris Agreement
Senior researcher at UNEP DTU Sara Trærup has been working with the TNA programme since its inception. According to her the TNA’s are not only key to each countries approach to climate change but to the whole global effort as outlined in the Paris Agreement:
“It is incredibly important that these countries get the opportunity to identify the technology that they need to live up to their Nationally Determined Contributions and help achieve the goals in the Paris Agreement”
Assessing the need for technology is directly referenced in the Paris Agreement, but the TNA programme is also a contribution to the general development of the participating countries, helping them take a step on the way to accessing technology.
Funding and gender guidance
The third phase of the TNA programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility and will begin in the summer of 2018 and last three years. Besides assessing the technological needs there will be a focus on easing the access to funding and investments.
“The goal is to help kick-start investments in technology for climate adaptation and mitigation, so the TNA isn’t only helping identify the technology needed but also helps implementing it”, Sara Trærup explains.
The TNA programme is built around a bottom-up approach. Local consultants and a need and demand driven method ensures that the national priorities in the assessments will lead to overall development as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation.
For the first time gender guidance is also an aspect when looking at technology. Countries will receive guidance in how to ensure that new technology benefits society at large with an emphasis on gender equality.