China and South-South Scoping Assessment for Adaptation, Learning andDevelopment (CASSALD)

Developing countries and small islands face huge challenges from global warming and climate change and few countries face greater impacts than China. All countries, particularly those in the developing world, can learn from the Asian giant’s experience and share each other's knowledge to assist one another.

INTASAVE’s goal with the China and South-South Scoping Assessment for Adaptation, Learning and Development project, or CASSALD, is to identify where and how 10 developing countries in three regions can use China’s knowledge of adaptation in their own communities. It also sets out how resources in China can best be channeled to those countries to make a difference and how South-South countries can help each other with adaptation to climate change.

China’s history of lifting millions of people out of poverty gives it a high level of respect in development work. It has an important role to play in global development and has much to offer in terms of practical knowledge and technical expertise such as weather forecasting, disaster prediction, sustainable agriculture and water conservation. It is also a growing source of conservation technology and training.

INTASAVE’s partner and donor in the project is Adapting to Climate Change in China (ACCC), an innovative research initiative that links climate research with policy and development at the highest levels.

Partnerships of this kind are essential if developing countries and their people are to flourish in an ever-changing natural environment. No one country has the resources to stand alone and no one nation is an island from the others’ actions. International exchanges can also steer partners clear of strategies that haven’t worked, conserving scarce resources and saving valuable time.

Over the life of this initial project, INTASAVE identified priority countries for exchanges and the ties between development and adaptation. It mapped out ways each partner could plug gaps in knowledge and analysed their relationship with China, now and in the future. The research was undertaken in Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Grenada and Jamaica, spanning sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean.

The end result was a 12-point list of recommendations in which international development agencies could promote cooperation between China and the global South. Underpinning all recommendations is the need for every project to be driven by verifiable demand and with a long-term outlook and perspective.

For further information contact: admin@intasave.org or murray.simpson@intasave.org

OVERVIEW

The overarching aim of Phase 1 of the China and South-South Scoping Assessment for Learning and Development initiative is to identify key opportunities and avenues for South-South learning and climate compatible development and how to best channel resources to share China's and developing countries' experiences of integrating climate adaptation into the development process. This project is being implemented in ten (10) countries across three regions including Africa (Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda); Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia) and the Caribbean (Grenada, Jamaica). Final outputs from Phase 1, including the Full Report and Country Reports follow details on the project below.

BACKGROUND

The project Adapting to Climate Change in China (ACCC) is an innovative policy research initiative focusing on linking climate change research with policy making and development. ACCC started in June 2009 as a collaboration between UK, China and Switzerland; it is funded by DFID China, the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, DFID Research and the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). ACCC is building on the results of a long standing collaboration between UK and China in the area of climate change adaptation. The main national institutional partner is the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) which is responsible for the formulation of Five Year National development plans and has also the mandate to coordinate climate change actions both in adaptation and mitigation.

CONTEXT

Climate change is a global problem with the need for collective action. Whilst the global element to action has traditionally been seen as emissions targets and mitigation ambition, how each country adapts to the impacts of climate change is also a trans-boundary issue. When done well, successfully replicating and learning from other’s adaptation experience can rapidly accelerate a country’s capacity to effectively adapt. Conversely, maladaptation poses the risk of aggravating tensions around resources and borders and can undermine a country’s mitigation efforts. For this reason, adaptation cannot remain a national issue and can be greatly enhanced by international sharing, particularly between developing countries who share similar challenges and contexts.

China has an important role to play in global development, climate resilience and South-South cooperation. Numerous Chinese ministries are working with developing countries on climate compatible development through adaptation strategies, science and technological advances across a range of sectors. During its 11th Five-Year Plan period, China established 121 assistance programmes for climate change implementation that provided capacity building to over 207,000 personnel. The 12th Five-Year Plan includes provisions to assist other developing countries even further to address climate change.

At COP 17, on 5 December 2011, Xie Zhenhua, NDRC Vice Minister and head of the Chinese delegation, announced 4 major areas of investment through South-South collaboration:

1. Adaptation: help developing countries that are most vulnerable to extreme weather to develop weather forecasting, disaster prediction capacity, and improved early-warning capacities;


2. Promotion of climate change adaptation technology, including sustainable agriculture assistance, and technology to help needy countries with drought resistance, water conservation, and biodiversity;


3. Dissemination and donation of technology in energy conservation, water conservation, and renewable energy to small island developing states and least developed countries;


4. Continuation of capacity building programs for developing countries that need it. In the next 3 years, China plans to continue to carry out a series of capacity building activities in climate change and train 1,000 officials in developing countries.

The project ‘China and South-South Scoping Assessment for Learning and Development’ (CASSALD) focuses on addressing climate adaptation needs and potential for south-south learning in 10 developing countries.

AIM

To identify key opportunities and avenues for South-South learning and climate compatible development and how to best channel resources to share China's and developing countries' experiences of integrating climate adaptation into the development process.

OBJECTIVES

1. Identify priority countries and regional and national partners in the 'south' regions


2. Identify how development and adaptation are linked in the selected countries


3. Establish a framework for a learning-centred approach across regions and countries for south-south learning and collaboration with China on climate compatible development


4. Identify and evaluate the 'gaps' and 'needs' of each country and region in relationship to their existing needs, practice and experience


5. Examine, analyse and report the regions' and countries existing relationships with China and their potential to work with China on climate compatible development


6. Establish and recommend how international development agencies (ACCC-DFID-China) can engage with these countries to best channel resources most effectively

SCOPING ASSESSMENT

Framework for Assessment

• national adaptation strategies and capacity


• main actors and responsibilities


• adaptation mainstreaming into decision-making processes

Needs assessment

• climate impacts and priorities


• external input needs and benefit of Chinese engagement


• operationalising international sharing

Attitudinal assessment

• political will to act on climate change and political drivers


• Development priorities


• policy makers information sources


• perspectives on working with China

Existing links evaluation

• Chinese contacts and context


• South-South learning underway

OUTPUTS

Final outputs from Phase 1, which include the Final Report, Executive Summary and Country Reports (Appendices) are available for download from the INTASAVE Asia-Pacific website.