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

=== 17.4.6 Holistic Planning and the Nexus Approach ===

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Poor sectoral coordination and institutional fragmentation have triggered a wide range of unsustainable uses of resources and threatened the long-term sustainability of food, water and energy security ( [[#Rasul--2016|Rasul 2016]] ). Greater policy coherence among the three sectors is critical to moving to a sustainable and efficient use of resources ( [[#United%20Nations--2019|United Nations 2019]] ), given that political ambition, values, the energy mix, infrastructure and innovation capacities collectively shape transition outcomes ( [[#Neofytou--2020|Neofytou et al. 2020]] ). Capacity- and coalition-building, particularly among sub-national and non-state actors (e.g., non-governmental organisations) is a particularly important enabler of greater coherence ( [[#Bernstein--2018|Bernstein and Hoffmann 2018]] ). The nexus approach, a systems-based methodology that focuses attention on the many ways in which natural resources are deeply interwoven and mutually interdependent, can strengthen coordination and help to avoid maladaptive pathways ( [[#Cremades--2016|Cremades et al. 2016]] ).

A major shift is required in the decision-making process in the direction of taking a holistic view, developing institutional mechanisms to coordinate the actions of diverse actors and strengthening complementarities and synergies ( [[#Nikas--2020|Nikas et al. 2020]] ; [[#Rasul--2016|Rasul 2016]] ). Currently, nexus approaches have moved from purely conceptual arguments to application and implementation. ( [[#Liu--2018|Liu et al. 2018]] ) suggest the need for a systematic procedure and provide perspectives on future directions. These include expanding nexus frameworks that take into account interaction linkages with the SDGs, incorporating overlooked drivers and regions, diversifying nexus toolboxes and making these strategies central to policymaking and governance in integrating and implementing the SDGs.

In respect of processes, ( [[#Seyfang--2012|Seyfang and Haxeltine 2012]] ) found a lack of realistic and achievable expectations among both members (internally) and the wider public (externally), which hampers the acceleration of transitions. This movement could concentrate strategically on developing and promoting short-term steps towards shared long-term visions, including clearly identifiable goals and end-points. Sustainability science must link research on problem structures with a solutions-oriented approach that seeks to understand, conceptualise and foster experiments in how socio-technical innovations for sustainability develop, are diffused and are scaled up ( [[#Miller--2014|Miller et al. 2014]] ).

Various strategies and processes have been explored that might facilitate the translation of barriers into enablers, thus accelerating transitions to sustainable development. Common themes include frequent monitoring and system evaluation to reveal the barriers in the first place, the collaborative co-creation and envisioning of pathways toward sustainable development, ambitious goal-setting, the strategic tackling of sources of path dependence or inertia, iterative evaluations of progress and risk management, adaptive management and building in opportunities for agile course-correction at multiple levels of governance ( [[#Burch--2014|Burch et al. 2014]] ; [[#Halbe--2015|Halbe et al. 2015]] ). Given the political infeasibility of stable, long-term climate policies, the better choice may be to embrace uncertainty in specific policies but entrench the low-carbon transition as the overarching goal. Framing climate policy too narrowly, rather than taking a more holistic, sustainable development-oriented approach, may tie success to single policies, rather than allowing for system-wide change.

Decarbonisation may be encouraged by embedding the transition in a broader socio-economic agenda, focusing on constructing social legitimacy to justify the transformation, encouraging municipalities with a material interest in the transition and reforming institutions to support the long-term transition goals ( [[#Rosenbloom--2019|Rosenbloom et al. 2019]] ). In jurisdictions where climate and energy policy have been integrated and harmonised, such as the UK, progress has been made in transitioning to sustainable energy ( [[#Warren--2016|Warren et al. 2016]] ).

Developing countries that are rich in fossil fuels now have an opportunity to reset their development trajectories by focusing on those opportunities that will offer resilient development in land-use change, low-carbon energy generation and not least more efficient resource-planning ( [[#UNDRR--2019|UNDRR 2019]] ). Resource-rich developing countries can choose an alternative pathway by deciding to monetise carbon capital and diversifying away from the high-carbon aspects of risk. Countries rich in hydrocarbons can diversify their energy mix and maximise their renewable-energy potential. For instance, Namibia, a net importer of electricity, is seeking to reduce its current dependence on hydrocarbons by promoting solar energy. The government has issued permits allowing independent power producers (IPPs) to sell directly to consumers, thus ending the monopoly hitherto enjoyed by the state utility company NamPower ( [[#Kruger--2019|Kruger et al. 2019]] ).

Cities are important spaces where the momentum to achieve low-carbon transitions can be built ( [[#Burch--2010|Burch 2010]] ; [[#Holscher--2019|Holscher et al. 2019]] ; [[#Shaw--2014|Shaw et al. 2014]] ), especially where centralised energy structures and national governance and politics are posing deep-rooted challenges to change ( [[#Dowling--2018|Dowling et al. 2018]] ; [[#Meadowcroft--2011|Meadowcroft 2011]] ). Cities can enter networks and partnerships with other cities and multi-level actors, spaces that are important for capacity-building and accelerating change ( [[#Dale--2020|Dale et al. 2020]] ; [[#Heikkinen--2019|Heikkinen et al. 2019]] ; [[#Westman--2021|Westman et al. 2021]] ).

Addressing the uncertainties and complexities associated with locally, regionally and nationally sustainable development pathways requires creative methods and participatory processes. These may include powerful visualisations that make the implications of climate change (and decarbonisation) clear locally ( [[#Shaw--2014|Shaw et al. 2014]] ; [[#Sheppard--2011|Sheppard et al. 2011]] ), other visual aids or ‘progress wheels’ that effectively communicate the relevant contexts ( [[#Glaas--2019|Glaas et al. 2019]] ), storytelling and mapping, and both analogue and digital games ( [[#Mangnus--2019|Mangnus et al. 2019]] ).

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