Editing IPCC:AR6/WGIII/Chapter-14 (section)

==== 14.3.2.9 Technology Development and Transfer ====

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Technology development and transfer is the second of three ‘means of implementation and support’ specified under the Paris Agreement to accomplish its objectives relating to mitigation (and adaptation) ( [[#UNFCCC--2015a|UNFCCC 2015a]] , Art. 14.1). This sub-section discusses the provision made in the Paris Agreement for international cooperation on technology development and transfer. [[#14.4.2|Section 14.4.2]] below considers broader cooperative efforts on technology development and transfer under the UNFCCC. Both sections complement the discussion in [[IPCC:Wg3:Chapter:Chapter-16#16.6|Section 16.6]] on the role of international cooperation in fostering transformative change.

The importance of technology as a means of implementation for climate mitigation obligations under the Paris Agreement is evident from Parties’ NDCs. Of the 168 NDCs submitted as of June 2019, 109 were expressed as conditional upon support for technology development and transfer, with 70 Parties requesting technological support for both mitigation and adaptation, and 37 Parties for mitigation only ( [[#Pauw--2020|Pauw et al. 2020]] ). Thirty-eight LDCs (79%) and 29 SIDS made their NDCs conditional on technology transfer, as did 50 middle-income countries ( [[#Pauw--2020|Pauw et al. 2020]] ).

While technology is seen as a key means of implementation and support for Paris Agreement commitments, the issue of technology development and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies for climate mitigation was heavily contested between developed and developing countries in the Paris negotiations, and these differences are likely to persist as the Paris Agreement is implemented ( [[#Oh--2019|Oh 2019]] ). Contestations continued in negotiations for the Paris Rulebook, particularly regarding the meaning of technological innovation, which actors should be supported, and how support should be provided by the UNFCCC ( [[#Oh--2020a|Oh 2020a]] ).

Article 10 of the Paris Agreement articulates a shared ‘long-term vision on the importance of fully realising technology development and transfer in order to improve resilience to climate change and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions’ (UNFCCC 2015, Art. 10.1). All Parties are required ‘to strengthen cooperative action on technology development and transfer’ (UNFCCC 2015, Art. 10.2). In addition, support, including financial support, ‘shall be provided’ to developing country Parties for the implementation of Article 10, ‘including for strengthening cooperative action on technology development and transfer at different stages of the technology cycle, with a view to achieving a balance between support for mitigation and adaptation’ (UNFCCC 2015, Art. 10.6). Available information on efforts related to support on technology development and transfer for developing country Parties is also one of the matters to be taken into account in the global stocktake (UNFCCC 2015, Art. 10.6) ( [[#14.3.2.5|Section 14.3.2.5]] ).

The Paris Agreement emphasises that efforts to accelerate, encourage and enable innovation are ‘critical for an effective long-term global response to climate change and promoting economic growth and sustainable development’ and urges that they be supported, as appropriate, by the Technology Mechanism and Financial Mechanism of the UNFCCC (UNFCCC 2015, Art. 10.5). This support should be directed to developing country Parties ‘for collaborative approaches to research and development, and facilitating access to technology, in particular for early stages of the technology cycle’ (UNFCCC 2015, Art. 10.5). Inadequate support for research and development, particularly in developing countries, has been identified in previous studies of technology interventions by international institutions as a key technology innovation gap that might be addressed by the Technology Mechanism ( [[#de%20Coninck--2015|de Coninck and Puig 2015]] ).

To support Parties’ cooperative action, the Technology Mechanism, established in 2010 under the UNFCCC ( [[#14.4.2|Section 14.4.2]] ), will serve the Paris Agreement, subject to guidance of a new ‘technology framework’ (UNFCCC 2015, Art. 10.4). The latter was strongly advocated by the African group in the negotiations for the Paris Agreement ( [[#Oh--2020a|Oh 2020a]] ), and was adopted in 2018 as part of the Paris Rulebook, with implementation entrusted to the component bodies of the Technology Mechanism. The guiding principles of the framework are coherence, inclusiveness, a results-oriented approach, a transformational approach and transparency. Its ‘key themes’ include innovation, implementation, enabling environment and capacity building, collaboration and stakeholder engagement, and support ( [[#UNFCCC--2019e|UNFCCC 2019e]] , Annex). A number of ‘actions and activities’ are elaborated for each thematic area. These include: enhancing engagement and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including local communities and authorities, national planners, the private sector and civil society organisations, in the planning and implementation of Technology Mechanism activities; facilitating Parties undertaking, updating and implementing technology needs assessments (TNAs) and aligning these with NDCs; and enhancing the collaboration of the Technology Mechanism with the Financial Mechanism for enhanced support for technology development and transfer. As regards TNAs, while some developing countries have already used the results of their TNA process in NDC development, other countries might benefit from following the TNA process, including its stakeholder involvement and multi-criteria decision analysis methodology, to strengthen their NDCs (Hofman and van der Gaast 2019).

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