Mainstreaming climate compatible development: Achieving deep political and societal change to deliver the ambition of the Paris climate agreement

The document argues that bridging the emissions gap requires both 'getting the economics right' through financial mobilisation and carbon pricing, and 'getting the politics right' through leadership and stakeholder engagement. It emphasizes a 'development first' approach for developing countries, using the 'cost of inaction' to build national consensus. To avoid maladaptation and protect the poorest, the text advocates for the inclusion of socially marginalised groups and women in decision-making, while managing the 'water-energy-food nexus' and removing laws that undermine climate goals.

• Current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's goals, with formal commitments covering only one-quarter to one-third of the emission reductions needed by 2030 to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius.
• Economic alignment for climate compatible development requires mobilising financial resources, implementing macroeconomic policies like global carbon pricing and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and using fiscal tools such as favourable tariffs for clean power.
• In developing countries, building political will is most effective when using a 'development first' approach that highlights immediate benefits such as public health, employment, and energy security, alongside narratives demonstrating the 'cost of inaction'.
• Case studies illustrate the utility of calculating inaction costs: in Uganda, inaction on adaptation was estimated to cost 20 times more than immediate measures, while in Nepal, such calculations helped various government ministries engage in climate planning.
• To prevent 'maladaptation' and ensure the poorest are not harmed by climate action, policies must be designed to eradicate extreme poverty and include socially disadvantaged groups and women as equal partners in decision-making.
• Effective climate action requires managing the 'water-energy-food nexus', particularly in resource-scarce areas; for example, in Amazonia, large-scale deforestation is predicted to reduce rainfall by up to 21%, impacting energy and agriculture.
• Achieving a climate-compatible future depends not only on new pro-climate actions but also on the eradication of existing laws and policies that undermine these goals and the enforcement of current environmental laws.

APA

Dupar, M., Maxwell, S., Bickersteth, S., Huhtala, A., & Pacha, M. J. (2016). Mainstreaming climate compatible development: Achieving deep political and societal change to deliver the ambition of the Paris climate agreement. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/mainstreaming-ccd-poster-sept-2016_v4.pdf

Chicago

Dupar, Mairi, Simon Maxwell, Sam Bickersteth, Ari Huhtala, and Maria Jose Pacha. Mainstreaming climate compatible development: Achieving deep political and societal change to deliver the ambition of the Paris climate agreement. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2016. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/mainstreaming-ccd-poster-sept-2016_v4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dupar |first1=Mairi |last2=Maxwell |first2=Simon |last3=Bickersteth |first3=Sam |last4=Huhtala |first4=Ari |last5=Pacha |first5=Maria Jose |title=Mainstreaming climate compatible development: Achieving deep political and societal change to deliver the ambition of the Paris climate agreement |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2016 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/mainstreaming-ccd-poster-sept-2016_v4.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dupar2016mainstreaming, author = {Dupar, Mairi and Maxwell, Simon and Bickersteth, Sam and Huhtala, Ari and Pacha, Maria Jose}, title = {{Mainstreaming climate compatible development: Achieving deep political and societal change to deliver the ambition of the Paris climate agreement}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/mainstreaming-ccd-poster-sept-2016_v4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }