Nationally appropriate mitigation action (NAMA) research study in India, Philippines and Indonesia

Nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) refer to a set of policies or action that reduces emission in developing countries and is prepared under the umbrella of a national governmental initiative. NAMAs can be voluntary projects, policies and plans directed at transformational change within an economic sector, or actions across sectors for a broader national focus. NAMAs could serve as a potentially transformative vehicle for facilitating greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and attracting climate finance for developing countries.

ICLEI –South Asia has collaborated with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), a public-interest incorporated foundation established under an initiative of the Japanese government to develop an analytical framework that can help identify whether and to what extent countries are giving due attention to institutional factors for successful NAMA implementation at the sub-national level.

As a part of larger IGES research study covering three countries, this assignment included preparation of case studies for 3 cities in India which are targeted or can be potentially targeted for NAMA involvement by the national government. The research framework were used to assess whether and to what extent potential best practice projects being implemented at the city level in India that can be developed and registered as NAMAs to boost their replication and scaling up.

The assessment was framed around questions concerning:
1) Institutional capacities
2) Institutional coordination/stakeholder engagement
3) Compliance incentives
4) Monitoring protocols. This included gathering information through face to face interviews with national/subnational government officials and other stakeholders and through secondary sources

The selection of 3 case studies across 3 cities was done after taking into consideration the on-going efforts and activities that the cities have been carrying out in selected sectors and the potential for these projects to be scaled up and replicated under the NAMA framework. The case studies covered include:
1) Integrated Low Carbon Initiatives in Rajkot
2) Development of Gandhinagar Solar City
3) Energy Efficient Street Lighting in Thane through ESCO model

Besides the case studies, a research paper on policy scenario and institutional framework and status of low carbon development including NAMAs at the National level for India was also developed under this assessment.