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

=== FAQ 17.3 | How critical are the roles of institutions in accelerating the transition and what can governance enable? ===

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Institutions are critical in accelerating the transition towards sustainable development: they can help to shape climate change response strategies in terms of both adaptation and mitigation. Local institutions are the custodians of critical adaptation services, ranging from the mobilisation of resources, skills development and capacity-building to the dissemination of critical strategies. Transitions towards sustainable development are mediated by actors within particular institutions, the governance mechanisms they use as implementing tools and the political coalitions they form to enable action. Patterns of production and consumption have implications for a low-carbon development, and many of these patterns can act as barriers or opportunities towards sustainable development. Trade policies, international economic issues and international financial flows can positively support the speed and scale of the transition; alternatively, they can have negative impacts on policies that may inhibit the process. Nonetheless, contextual factors are a fundamental part of the change process, and institutions and their governance systems provide pathways that can influence contextual realities on the ground. For instance, politically vested interests may lead powerful lobby groups or coalition networks to influence the direction of the transition, or they could put pressure on a given political elite through the imposition of regulatory standards, taxation, incentives and policies that may speed or delay the transition process. Civil-society institutions, such as NGOs or research centres, can act as effective governance ‘watchdogs’ in the transition process, particularly when they exercise a challenge function and question government actions in respect of transitions related to sustainable development.

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