Editing IPCC:AR6/WGIII/Chapter-17 (section)

== Executive Summary ==

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'''Accelerating climate actions and progress towards a just transition is essential to reducing climate risks and addressing sustainable development priorities, including water, food and human security (''' '''''robust evidence, high agreement''''' ''').''' Accelerating action in the context of sustainable development involves not only expediting the pace of change (speed) but also addressing the underlying drivers of vulnerability and high emissions (quality and depth of change) and enabling diverse communities, sectors, stakeholders, regions and cultures (scale and breadth of change) to participate in just, equitable and inclusive processes that improve the health and well-being of people and the planet. Looking at climate change from a justice perspective means placing the emphasis on (i) the protection of vulnerable populations and low-income countries from the impacts of climate change, (ii) mitigating the effects of the transformations, and (iii) ensuring an equitable decarbonised world. {17.1.1}

'''While transition pathways will vary across countries, they are likely to be challenging in many contexts (''' '''''robust evidence''''' , '''''high agreement''''' ''')''' '''.''' Climate change is the result of decades of unsustainable production and consumption patterns (for example, energy production and land use), as well as governance arrangements and political economic institutions that lock in resource-intensive development patterns ( ''robust evidence, high agreement'' ). Reframing development objectives and shifting development pathways towards sustainability can help transform these patterns and practices, allowing space for transitions to transform unsustainable systems ( ''medium evidence'' , ''high agreeme'' ''nt'' ). {17.1.1.2}

'''Sustainable development can enhance sectoral integration and social inclusion (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' Inclusion merits attention because equity within and across countries is critical to transitions that are not simply rapid but also sustainable and just. Resource shortages, social divisions, inequitable distributions of wealth, poor infrastructure and limited access to advanced technologies can constrain the options and capacities for developing countries to achieve sustainable and just transitions ( ''medium evidence'' , ''high agreeme'' ''nt'' ). {17.1.1.2}

'''Concrete actions aligning sustainable development and climate mitigation and partnerships can support transitions. Strengthening different stakeholders’ ‘response capacities’ to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate will be critical for a sustainable transition (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' Response capacities can be increased by means of alignment across multiple stakeholders at different levels of decision-making. This alignment will also help achieve synergies and manage trade-offs between climate and sectoral policies by breaking down sectoral silos and overcoming the multiple barriers that prevent transitions from gaining traction and gathering momentum ( ''medium evidence'' , ''high agreeme'' ''nt'' ). {17.1.1.1}

'''Economics, psychology, governance, and systems research have pointed to a range of factors that influence the speed, scale and quality of transitions (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' Views nonetheless differ on how much market-correcting policies; shift preferences (economics); shifts in individual and collective mindsets (psychology); and multi-level governance arrangements and inclusive political institutions (governance) contribute to system transitions ( ''medium evidence'' , ''high agr'' ''eement'' ). {17.2}

'''While economics, psychology, governance and systems thinking emphasise different enablers of transitions, they often share a view that strengthening synergies and avoiding trade-offs between climate and sustainable development priorities can overcome barriers to transitions (''' '''''medium evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' A growing body of research and evidence can show which factors in the views from economics, psychology, governance and systems affect how interrelationships are managed between climate, mitigation policies and sustainable development. Greater integration between studies based on different methodological approaches can show how to construct an enabling environment that increases the feasibility and sustainability of transitions. {17.2, 17.3, 17.4}

'''Short- and long-term studies of transformations using macroeconomic models and integrated assessment models (IAMs) have identified synergies and trade-offs of mitigation options in the context of development pathways that align sustainable development and climate change (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' IAMs often look at climate change mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an aggregate manner: supplementing this aggregate view with detail-rich studies involving SDGs can build support for transitions within and across countries ( ''medium evidence'' , ''medium agree'' ''ment'' ). {17.3.2}

'''The impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation responses, are highly context-specific and scale-dependent. There are synergies and trade-offs between adaptation and mitigation as well as synergies and trade-offs with sustainable development (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' A strong link exists between sustainable development, vulnerability and climate risks, as limited economic, social and institutional resources often result in low adaptive capacities and high vulnerability, especially in developing countries. Resource limitations in these countries can similarly weaken the capacity for climate mitigation and adaptation. The move towards climate-resilient societies requires transformational or deep systemic change. This has important implications for countries’ sustainable development pathways ( ''medium evidence'' , ''high agreeme'' ''nt'' ). {17.3.3.6}

'''Sectoral mitigation options present synergies with the SDGs, but there are also trade-offs, which can become barriers to implementation. Such trade-offs are particularly identified in relation to the use of land for bioenergy crops, water and food access, and competition for land between forest or food production (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' Many industrial mitigation options, such as efficiency improvements, waste management and the circular economy, have synergies with the SDGs relating to access to food, water and energy ( ''robust evidence'' , ''high agreement'' ). The promotion of renewable energy in some industrial sectors can imply stranded energy supply investments, which need to be taken into consideration ( ''medium evidence'' , ''medium agreement'' ). The agriculture, forestry, and other land uses (AFOLU) sector offers many low-cost mitigation options, but actions aimed at producing bioenergy, extending food access and protecting biodiversity can also create trade-offs between different land uses ( ''robust evidence'' , ''high agreement'' ). Some options can help to minimise these trade-offs, for example, integrated land management, cross-sectoral policies and efficiency improvements. Lifestyle changes, including dietary changes and reduced food waste, have several synergies with climate mitigation and the SDGs ( ''medium evidence, medium agreement'' ). Cross-sectoral policies are important in avoiding trade-offs, to ensure that synergies between mitigation and SDGs are captured, and to ensure local people are involved in the development of new products, as well as production and consumption practices. There can be many synergies in urban areas between mitigation policies and the SDGs, but capturing these depends on the overall planning of urban structures and on local integrated policies, where, for example, affordable housing and spatial planning as a climate mitigation measure are combined with walkable urban areas, green electrification and clean renewable energy. Such integrated options can also reduce the pressures on agricultural land by reducing urban growth, thus improving food security. Access to green electricity can also support quality education ( ''medium evidence'' , ''medium agreement'' ) ''.'' {17.3.3, 17.3.3.1, 17.3.3.3}

'''Digitalisation could facilitate a fast transition to sustainable development and low-emission pathways by contributing to efficiency improvements, cross-sectoral coordination and a circular economy with new IT services and decreasing resource use''' '''(''' '''''low evidence''''' ''',''' '''''medium agreement''''' ''').''' Several synergies with SDGs could emerge in terms of energy, food and water access, health and education, as well as trade-offs, for example, in relation to reduced employment, increasing energy demand and increasing demand for services, all implying increased GHG emissions. However, developing countries with limited internet access and poor infrastructure could be excluded from the benefits of digitalisation ( ''medium evidence'' , ''medium agree'' ''ment'' ) ''.'' {17.3.3}

'''Actions aligning sustainable development and climate mitigation and partnerships can support transitions. Strengthening different stakeholders’ ‘response capacities’ to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate will be critical for a sustainable transition (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''')''' '''.''' Response capacities can be increased by means of alignment across multiple stakeholders at different levels of decision-making. This alignment will also help achieve synergies and manage trade-offs between climate and sectoral policies by breaking down sectoral silos and overcoming the multiple barriers that prevent transitions from gaining traction and gathering momentum ( ''medium evidence'' , ''high agreeme'' ''nt'' ). {17.1.1.1}

'''The landscape of transitions to sustainable development is changing rapidly, with multiple transitions already underway. This creates the room to manage these transitions in ways that prioritise the needs for workers in vulnerable sectors (land, energy) to secure their jobs and maintain secure and healthy lifestyles, especially as the risks multiply for those exposed to heavy industrial jobs and associated outcomes (''' '''''medium evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''')''' . A just transition incorporates key principles, such as respect and dignity for vulnerable groups, the creation of decent jobs, social protection, employment rights, fairness in energy access and use, and social dialogue and democratic consultation with the relevant stakeholders, while coping with the effects of asset-stranding and the transition to green and clean economies ( ''medium evidence'' , ''medium agreement'' ) ''.'' The economic implications of the transition will be felt especially strongly by developing countries, with high dependence on hydrocarbon products for revenue streams, as they will be exposed to reduced fiscal incomes given a low demand for oil and consequent fall in oil prices ( ''limited evidence'' , ''medium agree'' ''ment'' ) ''.'' {17.3.2, 17.3.2.3}

'''Countries with assets that are at risk of becoming stranded may lack the relevant resources, knowledge, autonomy or agency to reorientate, or to decide on the speed, scale and quality of the transition (''' '''''limited evidence''''' ''',''' '''''medium agreement''''' ''').''' The urgency of mitigation might overshadow some of the other priorities related to the transition, like climate change adaptation and its inherent vulnerabilities. Consequently, the transition imperative could reduce the scope and autonomy for local priority-setting and could ignore the additional risks in countries with a low capacity to adapt. A just transition will depend on local contexts, regional priorities, the starting points of different countries in the transition and the speed at which they want to travel. Both mitigation and adaptation warrant urgent and prompt action given current and continuing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and associated negative impacts on humanity and ecosystems ( ''limited evidence'' , ''medium agree'' ''ment'' ) ''.'' {17.3.2}

'''A wide range of factors have been found to enable sustainability transitions, ranging from technological innovations to shifts in markets, and from policies and governance arrangements to shifts in belief systems and market forces (''' '''''robust evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agreement''''' ''').''' Many of these factors come together in a co-evolutionary process that has unfolded globally, internationally and locally over several decades ( ''low evidence'' , ''high agreement'' ). Those same conditions that may serve to impede the transition (i.e., organisational structure, behaviour, technological lock-in) can also ‘flip’ to enable both it and the framing of sustainable development policies to create a stronger basis and policy support ( ''robust evidence'' , ''high agreement'' ). It is important to note that strong shocks to these systems, including accelerating climate change impacts, economic crises and political changes, may provide crucial openings for accelerated transitions to sustainable systems. For example, rebuilding more sustainably after an extreme event, or renewed public debate about the drivers of social and economic vulnerability to multiple stressors ( ''medium evidence'' , ''medium agr'' ''eement'' ). {17.4}

'''Sustainable development and deep decarbonisation will involve people and communities being connected through various means, including globally via the internet and digital technologies, in ways that prompt shifts in thinking and behaviour consistent with climate change goals (''' '''''medium evidence''''' ''',''' '''''medium agreement''''' ''').''' Individuals and organisations like institutional entrepreneurs can function to build transformative capacity through collective action ( ''robust evidence'' , ''high agreement'' ), but private-sector entrepreneurs can also play an important role in fostering and accelerating the transitions to sustainable development ( ''robust evidence'' , ''medium agreement'' ). Ultimately, the adoption of coordinated, multi-sectoral policies targeting new and rapid innovation can help national economies take advantage of widespread decarbonisation. Green industrial policies that focus on building domestic supply chains and capacities can help states prepare for the influx of renewable CDR-methods, or mechanisms for carbon capture and storage (CCS) ( ''medium evidence'' , ''medium agree'' ''ment'' ). {17.4.2}

'''Accelerating the transition to sustainability will be enabled by explicit consideration being given to the principles of justice, equality and fairness. Interventions to promote sustainability transitions that account for local context (including unequal access to resources, capacity and technology) in the development process are necessary but not sufficient in creating a just transition (''' '''''low evidence''''' ''',''' '''''high agree''''' '''''ment''''' ''')''' '''.''' {17.4.6}

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