BUILDING THE ECONOMY OF TOMORROW:
CLIMATE AMBITIONS AND GREEN RECOVERY

As governments race to take bold action to address COVID-19, the world has an unprecedented opportunity to restructure economies that are equitable, resilient, and climate responsive.

The science is clear: countries have a short window of time to take the urgent action necessary to limit average global temperature rise to a safer 1.5 °C. Global warming is already causing long-lasting changes to our climate system and threatens lives and livelihoods around the world. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity – through the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – to ensure a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for all.

Tackling the climate crisis requires that all countries make bold pledges under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that cause global warming. The Climate Promise is our commitment to ensure that any country wishing to increase the ambition of its national climate pledge can do so.

Integrating ambitious climate action for the COVID-19 recovery is one of the key building blocks to build back better economies. Ambitions for climate actions that are aligned to governments’ national development plans and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can spur economic growth, technology transformation, job creation and address key social inequalities that are critical for recovery. Indeed, a new study by Oxford University shows that recovery packages that seek synergies between economic and climate goals have a better potential for reducing climate risks, increasing national wealth, and enhancing productive human, social, physical and natural capital.

Climate ambitions (through Nationally Determined Contributions – NDC) and green recovery can be mutually reinforcing. Recovery plans can incorporate NDC targets and strategies, while also leveraging NDC enhancement processes, including stakeholder consultations, socio-economic and sectoral assessments, and modelling, to strengthen systems that pave the way for long-term sustainable development.

Montenegro is strongly committed to joining international efforts to combat climate change. Montenegro already reached the commitments set in 2015 and are striving to a more ambitious target. Its revised NDC proposes a 35% GHG emissions decrease until 2030, in comparison to 1990, as a base year.

Do we have a broad consensus on our climate ambitions? Can we still do better? Will Montenegro use the opportunity and link its NDC with green recovery? Will it seize the momentum and build back better trying to incorporate green development into its post-covid economic recovery programs? These are just some of the topics we will explore at this year’s Green Dialogue: Building the Economy of Tomorrow – Using NDCs to Inform Green Recovery.

Green Dialogue is meant for climate practitioners, decision-makers, expert institutions, civil society, but also the general public and everyone who would like to hear more about opportunities to build back better through green recovery.

TOPICS WE WILL BE DISCUSSING

Taking Action

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our age and also a serious social and economic issue that impacts all of us. Countries are increasingly linking their national climate plans with a green recovery from COVID-19 pandemics to scale up ambition on climate and implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. At Green days 2021 we are addressing the climate crisis through exploring climate solutions and opportunities, policy, innovation, and business solutions.

Montenegro Climate Trends

Montenegro increased climate ambition and pledged to cut GHG emissions by 35% below 1990 levels, by 2030 – aiming for decarbonization which implies transforming the energy sector, transportation, and industry.

The Climate Promise

The Climate Promise is UNDP’s response to the climate challenge. The programme supports countries to enhance their nationally determined contributions or NDCs, which are pledges stipulated for all signatories to the Paris Agreement. The initiative is delivered in 119 countries – making it the world’s largest support offer of this kind. UNDP’s Climate Promise is supported by Germany, Sweden, EU, Italy, Spain and other core contributors.

The EU Green Deal

Climate action is at the heart of the European Green Deal – a package of measures ranging from ambitiously cutting carbon across the economy, to investing in ground-breaking research and innovation, to preserving Europe’s natural environment.