Colombian Climate Change Policy and Institutional Framework

Colombia ratified the UNFCCC in 1994 as a non-annex 1 country with no commitments and rati-fied the Kyoto Protocol in 2000.

In 2002, the Ministry of Environment and the National Planning Department (DNP) issued the Colombian “Guidelines for Climate Change Policy”. It outlined the likely impact of climate change on Colombia and what Colombia needed to do to comply with international obligations under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

At COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009, Colombia made a number of unilateral and conditional pledges (Bermúdez Merizalde, 2010), including:

► Colombia committed to a minimum of 77% of renewable energy in the installed capacity of the country by 2020;

► With financial support, Colombia pledged to reduce deforestation in the Colombian rainforest to zero by 2020; and to increase the proportion of bioethanol and biodiesel in the national fuel

3 GCAM and Phoenix project rising carbon intensities of energy over time while TIAM-ECN and MEG4C predict declining energy in-tensity over time.

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market to an estimated 20% also by 2020 without threatening natural forests or the food secu-rity of Colombians.

2.2.1 Institutional Strategy for Climate Change Policies and Actions

The National Economic and Social Policy Council (CONPES) whose secretariat is led by the Na-tional Planning Department has defined recent climate policy in Colombia. In 2011, the council issued “CONPES 3700 on Climate Change” which outlines the “institutional strategy for the artic-ulation of policies and actions on the issue of climate change in Colombia”. This document em-phasises the importance of understanding climate change as a particular challenge to socio-eco-nomic development that requires the development of strategies at the sectoral as well as re-gional, and national levels. It creates a framework for sectors and regions helping them to inte-grate adaptation and mitigation action into their planning processes, make adequate use of re-sources, reduce their risk exposure, and increase their response capacity. It also creates a space for shared and coordinated management, and information that allows for effective decision mak-ing of sectoral, regional, or national actors (CONPES, 2011).

The following strategies and plans emanated from CONPES 3700:

► The Climate Change National Adaptation Plan (PNACC);

► The National Strategy on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (EN-REDD+);

► The Strategy for Fiscal Protection Against Natural Disasters; and

► The Colombian Low Carbon Development Strategy (CLCDS).

Colombia launched its Low Carbon Development Strategy (CLCDS) in 2011. CLCDS is a long-term strategy (up to 2040) which works to decouple GHG emissions from economic growth. It com-prises three key components: 1) identification and assessment of alternatives and opportunities in low-carbon development; 2) design and implementation of plans, policies and measurements in low-carbon development; and 3) design and construction of an MRV system. The Ministry of Environment cooperates with other line ministries in order to promote the design and imple-mentation of sectoral mitigation plans (PAS) under the CLCDS.

2.2.2 The National Climate Change System (SISCLIMA) and the Inter-sectoral Climate Change Commission (CICC)

I2016, the Ministry of Environment issued Decree 298/2016 which establishes the National Cli-mate Change System (SISCLIMA), which was earlier conceptualised in the CONPES 3700 in 2007.

SISCLIMA monitors and evaluates climate change measures of public and private entities and co-ordinates with international actors working on climate issues in Colombia. The system includes a finance committee that looks at financing climate measures in the country (MinAmbiente, 2016).

The CICC is composed of representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the director of the National Planning Department. Functions performed by the CICC include: the establishment of policies and actions to achieve the Colombian climate change targets; the definition of criteria for the allocation of respective resources in the budget of each ministry; the support and formalisation of intersectoral commitments and compromises;

the issuance of general instructions and solicitation of reports; the promotion of different

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mechanisms between the National Government, territorial entities and the private sector that allow for a joint implementation of policies; the coordination and definition of a strategy for monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the National Climate Change Policy; and the creation of technical committees needed for the fulfilment of its functions (MinAmbiente, 2016).

2.2.3 Colombian Green Growth Strategy

Colombian Green Growth Strategy, developed as part of the Colombian application for OECD membership, is part of the National Development Plan 2014-2018. It lists efficient use of re-sources as an important way to increase productivity and competitiveness while reducing emis-sions.

2.2.4 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)

In September 2015, Colombia submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the UNFCCC. As part of its INDC, Colombia established a unilateral, single year national target to reduce its GHG emissions by 20% below a business as usual (BAU) scenario (including AFOLU) by 2030 (single year target), and by 30% if international support is provided. An indica-tive target for 2025 is considered based on the results of COP 21.

Colombia’s estimates that its 2010 emissions were 224 mega tons of CO2eq. From this point, the NDC expects a BAU emissions pathway towards 278 MtCO2e by 2020 and 335 MtCO2e in 2030.

On this basis, the unconditional and conditional NDC targets translate to 268 MtCO2e and 235 MtCO2e in 2030, respectively. The technical support document for Colombia’s INDC identified demand side energy efficiency opportunities as an important opportunity to reduce emissions.

Inventory data for 2012 that was recently compiled in the context of Colombia’s Third National Communication suggests significantly lower BAU emissions levels through 2030 than those as-sumed under the BAU scenario provided in Colombia’s INDC. The difference stems from a signifi-cant reduction in reported LULUCF emissions between 2010 and 2012. The harmonisation of INDC BAU projections with latest inventory data leads to reductions in BAU emissions levels in 2020 (ranging from 58 to 69 MtCO2e) and 2030 (ranging from 58 to 83 MtCO2e). These results indicate that Colombia could achieve its unconditional INDC target (268 MtCO2e in 2030) with current policies if the INDC baseline remains unchanged (PBL, forthcoming). Yet, it is not clear, at this point in time, whether the BAU scenario in Colombia’s current INDC will be updated ac-cording to the new inventory data.

Despite fluctuations in the baseline related to AFOLU emissions, the national target of 20% emis-sions reduction is expected to be passed down equally to the sectors (i.e. 20% in each sector), focussing on the energy, housing, industry, transport, agriculture, and forestry sectors. Each line ministry will develop a plan on how to achieve the 20% reduction in the sector it is responsible for. First results were presented during the first CICC meeting end of September but have not been made public.

The INDC process involved a cross-sectoral participatory process where all main economic sec-tors, private acsec-tors, and the civil society were convened to understand the sources of GHG emis-sions and work together on options to reduce them. The process was embedded in the frame-work of the CLCDS and was aligned with other existing programmes and instruments, such as the National Plan for Climate Change Adaptation, the national REDD+ strategy, and Sectoral Ac-tion Plans that were formulated and approved by five-line ministries⁴ for eight important sec-tors: transport, energy, mining and hydrocarbons, industry, agriculture and farming, housing,

4 These ministries are: Ministry of Mining and Energy, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Ministry of Housing, Cities and Territory.

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and waste. The Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development leads the ECDBC with support of the National Planning Department. Each sectoral action plan comprises concrete miti-gation options and measures for the different sectors to address their emissions. The sectoral action plans provided the data for the compilation of the INDC.

As of June 2018, no long-term decarbonisation strategy has been submitted to the UNFCCC.⁵ Figure 2: Sectoral Mitigation Action Plans of line ministries included in the Colombian Low

Carbon Development Strategy

Source: (MinAmbiente, 2018b). Author’s translation

To further support decision making and implementation of sectoral action in the framework of the NDC, the University of the Andes identified and analysed 101 potential mitigation measures for the eight main sectors (including the building sector, see section 3), presenting, for each measure, a factsheet with relevant quantitative and qualitative information (Universidad de los Andes, 2016).

2.2.5 National Policy on Climate Change

In June 2017, the CICC adopted the Colombian National Policy on Climate Change, which imple-ments the INDC. The overall policy includes strategies to mainstream low carbon and resilient development at all territorial levels, and sectors inter alia mines-energy and infrastructure. It

5 Long Term Strategies can be found here: The following link leads to the internet: https://unfccc.int/process/the-paris-agree-ment/long-term-strategies

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

(MADS)

Colombian Low-Carbon Development Strategy (ECDBC)

Ministry of Transport

PAS Transport

National Planning Department (DNP)

Ministry of Min-ing and Energy

Ministry of Com-merce, Industry and Tourism

Ministry of Agri-culture and Rural

Development

Ministry of Hous-ing, Cities and

Territory

PAS Mining

PAS Electric Energy

PAS Hydrocarbons

PAS Industry PAS Agriculture and

Farming PAS Housing

PAS Solid Waste and Wastewater

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contains also a number of instruments to implement the overall policy: i) information, science, and technology; ii) education and awareness; iii) planning; and iv) financial instruments. The policy not only integrates the institutional arrangement established in CONPES 3700 at the na-tional level, but also includes territorial entities (departments and municipalities) and environ-mental regional authorities for coordinating adaptation and mitigation actions in the regional and local levels. The policy expands the scope of the sectorial mitigation action plans (PAS) to include sectorial adaptation actions. Therefore, currently all relevant ministries and depart-ments are formulating integrated climate change sectoral plans and integrated climate change territorial plans, respectively.

A draft for a Climate Change Law is being developed in order to establish the necessary regula-tions to prevent and mitigate emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change and promote economic, industrial, and technical progress as well as sustainable development of the country (Universidad de los Andes, 2015).

The INDC is closely aligned with the 2014-2018 National Development Plan. According to the PNCC, every new development plan should include an explicit contribution of each of the central sectors to achieve the proposed target for the respective four-year period. These contributions will provide the basis for the elaboration and actualisation of the eight existing sectoral action plans or, more specifically, the sectoral mitigation plans (MinAmbiente, 2018b).

2.2.6 National Registry of GHG Emission Reductions

In order to keep track of climate action, Article 175 of Law 1753/2015 established a National Registry of GHG emission reductions (RENARE) (Republic of Colombia, 2015). The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development is responsible for developing and administering the registry, which also serves to monitor progress towards the Colombian NDC.

The registry aims to serve as a platform to account for emission reductions and removals, as well as support the MRV processes at the national level including tracking NDC implementation. Arti-cle 175 further states that emission reduction accredited by the Ministry of Environment under the national or subnational mitigation programmes cannot be offered in the domestic or interna-tional carbon market.⁶ Though as of June 2018, the registry has not yet been launched.