SGP Publications: Climate Change

Environmentally Sustainable Transport and Climate Change: Experiences and lessons from community initiatives

This publication is a result of a review of 65 sustainable transport community projects funded by the GEF Small Grants Programme. Lessons and experiences documented in the publication demonstrate that community initiatives play an important role in testing new approaches, raising awareness of new ideas, piloting innovative strategies, and informing and stimulating policy dialogue in a cost-effective way.

For instance, community initiatives with local civil society organizations in Pune, India, prompted a policy shift by the city towards supporting bus rapid transit and the development of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, the municipal government is re-allocating a portion of its transport funds towards non-motorized transport infrastructure. In other cases (e.g., Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Jordan, Egypt, and Lithuania), sustainable transport community projects have resulted in government policy shifts and stimulated commercial activities, leading to sustainable strategies for addressing local transport challenges while benefiting the global climate.

The publication was first published and launched at the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP-12) and second meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP-2) in Nairobi, Kenya, 6-17 November 2006

Environmentally Sustainable Transport and Climate Change: Experiences and lessons from community initiatives (PDF, 1.44 MB)

Expanding Access to Modern Energy Services - Replicating, Scaling Up and Mainstreaming at the local level

This report provides an assessment of how projects on access to energy services can be scaled up, replicated and mainstreamed to help meet the MDGs. It starts from the basic premise that the need to scale up arises from the limited impact and sustainability inherent in small-scale or, ‘one-off’, energy projects. It is acknowledged that there are several community-level energy initiatives in many countries that are successfully contributing to provide energy services at local levels. If these projects are replicated, mainstreamed and scaled up at the national level,the impacts could have a far reaching positive contribution towards achieving the MDGs. The report features three case studies of SGP projects in Nepal, Dominican Republic and Kenya.

The publication is a product of a joint UNDP and Columbia University assessment workshop which drew upon UNDP initiatives and experiences to help identify specific institutional factors required for scaling up, and to highlight challenges to maximising micro-energy initiatives’ potential for making large-scale impact.

The report was published in May 2006 by the UNDP Energy team and the SGP to coincide with the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

Expanding Access to Modern Energy Services - Replicating, Scaling Up and Mainstreaming at the local level (PDF, 2 MB)

Partnerships in shaping national policies

The GEF Small Grants Programme has forged partnerships with local communities, national governments, civil society organizations, other development partners and the private sector to implement projects that have helped inform and shape national policies in different sectors. These projects have reduced barriers to the implementation of renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmentally sustainable transport practices.

SGP partners have developed innovative ways of enhancing the role played by energy in improving local livelihoods and benefiting the global environment. The project examples in this short publication include contributions to informing policy at different levels in the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Morocco and Ghana.

Partnerships in shaping national policies (PDF 125 KB)
Les partenariats dans la définition des politiques nationales (PDF 129 KB)
Alianzas para construer políticas nacionales (PDF 126 KB)

This publication was prepared for the COP 11 in Montreal in November/December 2005.

Demonstrating Global Environmental Benefits

Simplified approach for taking stock of community contribution to global GHG reduction.
Prepared by Mr. Stephen Gitonga, January 2005

This note was prepared to assist in the on-going GEF SGP effort to measure community contribution to global reduction of anthropogenic production of GHG gases.

Demonstrating Global Environmental Benefits (PDF 461,6 kb)

Responding to Climate Change, Generating Community Benefits

A review of community initiatives supported by the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Porgramme 1992 to 2003

The publication sets out the lessons and experiences that have emerged from SGP's portfolio of community-based climate change projects. It is based on the results of a decade of monitoring and evaluation work undertaken by SGP country programmes and projects at the community level and a recent review of SGP's climate change portfolio. These activities have enabled a clear understanding of the overall contribution of SGP to global climate change abatement while enhancing environmental and local benefits.

Based on an analysis of practice in SGP participating countries, each chapter offers a rich range of ideas and experiences to inform other community-level climate change projects.

English: Responding to Climate Change, Generating Community Benefits (PDF, 1,79 MB)
Français: Relever les défis des changements climatiques, créer des opportunités pour les communautés (PDF, 1,27 MB)
Espanol: Respondiendo al Cambio Climático, generando Beneficios Comunitarios (PDF, 1.77 MB)

The above publication was launched during the 9th United Nations Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention Climate Change (UNFCCC COP-9), on 4 December 2003 in Milan, Italy. It was reprinted in three languages in November 2005 for distribution at COP-11.

Factsheets giving examples of SGP Climate Change Projects

Community Action to Address Climate Change:

Case Studies Linking Sustainable Energy Use with Improved Livelihoods
GEF Small Grants Programme
United Nations Development Programme
November 2003

This publication documents nearly 50 climate change-related projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme between 1992 and 2003. These projects, undertaken in 29 countries by community-based and non-governmental organizations, address climate change and generate global environmental benefits by helping to remove barriers to the use of renewable and energy efficient technology. At the same time, these projects link sustainable energy use with improved livelihoods. These case studies are a joint effort of the GEF Small Grants Programme and the Global Programme on Energy for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Development Programme to improve knowledge management and share lessons learned.

Each case study is presented in a consistent format that highlights technical aspects, details of project implementation, types of environmental and livelihood benefits generated, and lessons learned. Case studies are classified according to a set of themes to help readers locate certain types of projects, such as those introducing innovative technology applications, promoting private sector involvement, undertaking institutional capacity development, or contributing to particular Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This publication offers a substantial base of knowledge about the implementation of community-based climate change projects that address climate change while generating livelihood benefits in diverse settings. It will be a useful reference for international institutions, energy and development practitioners, governments, and members of civil society and the private sector involved in supporting, initiating and implementing future projects.

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Environment and Ecology