Resource Library
Search below and discover 40 years of climate policy insights and solutions.
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RESULTS
Case Study
The Reciclo Organicos Program in Chile
Promoting behavioral change toward a sustainable management of organic waste
In Chile, organic waste constitutes a significant proportion of the total Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated each year, accounting for approximately 58% by weight. This is a considerably higher percentage compared to other fractions, such as packaging materials like plastic, cardboard, glass, and cans. Despite the high proportion of organic waste, the rate of recovery for this type of waste is incredibly low, with less than 1% being recovered for valorization.1 This means that most organic waste ends up in final disposal sites. To address this issue, the government, private sector, and individuals started working together to develop effective waste management strategies, including composting and recycling initiatives. Citizen involvement is crucial to the success of these strategies, as they play a key role in the proper separation of organic waste at the source and the operation of valorization solutions. However, this requires a significant change in behavior, as well as becoming aware of their responsibility on their own waste generation patterns.
Case Study
Use of taxes and bans to divert organic waste from landfills
The Netherlands and South Korea
Beginning in 1995, the Netherlands introduced a landfill tax in an effort to improve Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management in the country. The tax was intended to provide an economic incentive for companies and individuals to reduce the amount of waste they generate and to encourage them to divert it from the landfill. Together with other waste policies, it has achieved remarkable results. While in 1992 there were over 80 operational landfills, this number dropped to only 19 landfills in 2018. The Netherlands is diverting 99% of waste that was originally landfilled, becoming a world leader in this indicator.
In parallel, South Korea has also made impressive progress, especially around increasing the recovery of its organic waste, which represents 40% of total MSW. This happened as a result of the introduction of a landfill ban for organic waste in 2005 and several other accompanying policies. South Korea is a country the size of Portugal, but with a population of nearly 51 million, meaning that there is minimal room for landfills. In the 1980s, waste management in South Korea was underperforming in several ways (inadequate final disposal, low recycling rates, etc.), while today it stands as an example for other countries. This matches South Korea’s
Case Study
Colombia Waste Tariff Reform
A Cost-Recovery Approach
A step change in the development of the waste sector in Colombia can be linked to the approval of Law 142 in 1994, which established the framework for the provision of all utility services throughout the country, including Solid Waste Management (SWM) services. The Law established as some of its main objectives to permanently increase coverage levels of waste services, to provide continuous and efficient services, to seek economic efficiencies by leveraging economies of scale, and to develop progressive tariff structures that help subsidize the cost of service for low-income areas.
The institutional framework that supports these objectives in Colombia is robust and includes two different entities at the national level, the Regulatory Commission for Water and Basic Sanitation Services (or CRA, for its Spanish acronym) and the Superintendence of Residential Public Services (or SSPD for its Spanish acronym), which are in charge of the development of a detailed tariff methodology and of monitoring the quality of the services provided. The tariff methodology developed enables the recovery of operational costs and is periodically being reviewed and updated. The combination of the waste tariff for cost recovery and a strong institutional framework has had a positive impact on the SWM sector in Colombia, and has helped put it at the forefront of economically sustainable waste management in the region.
Case Study
Pay-As-You-Throw Systems
Creating an incentive to recycle organic waste
Flanders is one of Belgium’s three regions and home to 58% of the country’s population. Since the First Regional Decree on Waste was passed in 1981, Flanders has been successful in setting up successful environmental initiatives focused on waste. However, because of its high population density, municipalities have struggled to find space to build new landfills to manage the large volumes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) being produced. As a solution to better recover organic and recyclable waste TOOL TYPE: INCENTIVES The PAYT system implemented a usage-pricing model that charges users based on the amount of waste they generate. In terms of waste-related expenses, mixed waste1 collection and treatment posed the highest cost to municipalities. The PAYT strategy is specifically designed to help finance collection and treatment, while also incentivizing households to sort and reduce the generation of waste at the source. As a policy tool, a PAYT system allows for a differentiated charge for each waste stream. and extend the useful life of existing landfills, the Flanders government introduced a “Pay-As-You-Throw” (PAYT) system.
Action Plan
FEUILLE DE ROUTE NATIONALE POUR LA RÉDUCTION DES ÉMISSIONS DE SLCP ISSUES DES DÉCHETS SOLIDES
Lome Action Plan
Les changements climatiques sont une réalité indéniable et un défi mondial auxquels tous les pays sont confrontés. Leurs conséquences se traduisent par la hausse des températures, la diminution progressive des précipitations, la désorganisation des saisons, les inondations, etc., engendrant une baisse de la productivité agricole dans les pays en développement. Ce phénomène est la conséquence du rejet dans l’atmosphère de grandes quantités de gaz à effet de serre provenant des différents secteurs d’activités humaines. Bien qu’il soit difficile d’évaluer les quantités de déchets produites annuellement en raison du manque de données, le secteur des déchets constitue l’un des secteurs les plus émetteurs au Togo. Selon les projections réalisées lors du Deuxième Rapport Biennal Actualisé (2021), les émissions du secteur des déchets évolueraient de 335,7 Gg CO2-eq en 2010 à 573,3 Gg CO2-eq en 2030, soit une augmentation de 70,8%.
Roadmap
PLAN D’ACTIONPOUR LA GESTION DES DÉCHETS SOLIDES DANS LE GRAND LOMÉ
Les changements climatiques sont une réalité indéniable et un défi mondial auxquels tous les pays sont confrontés. Leurs conséquences se traduisent par la hausse des températures, la diminution progressive des précipitations, la désorganisation des saisons, les inondations, etc., engendrant une baisse de la productivité agricole dans les pays en développement. Ce phénomène est la conséquence du rejet dans l’atmosphère de grandes quantités de gaz à effet de serre provenant des différents secteurs d’activités humaines. Bien qu’il soit difficile d’évaluer les quantités de déchets produites annuellement en raison du manque de données, le secteur des déchets constitue l’un des secteurs les plus émetteurs au Togo. Selon les projections réalisées lors du Deuxième Rapport Biennal Actualisé (2021), les émissions du secteur des déchets évolueraient de 335,7 Gg CO2-eq en 2010 à 573,3 Gg CO2-eq en 2030, soit une augmentation de 70,8%.
Report
Carbon Pricing Signals in the Asia Pacific Region
Carbon pricing can support countries across the Asia and Pacific region to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve their national climate mitigation goals. Institutional capacities, knowledge, economic and social circumstances, and the nature of the climate mitigation plans in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Strategies (LTSs) determine the carbon price design.
This analysis looks at the viability of adopting and improving carbon pricing instruments in the Asia-Pacific Region. There are a variety of metrics used in this assessment. This assessment is based on a country’s income, capacity to implement carbon pricing instruments, and other relevant factors. According to the trends analysis, recommendations on adopting carbon pricing instruments or improving existing ones are provided. In the Asia-Pacific region, carbon pricing has already played a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in ways that are consistent with sustainable development and equitable outcomes. But the choice of price mechanisms varies according to national circumstances. Some countries have preferred to design their climate action in a broad price and market portfolio. In contrast, others have focused on offset markets without considerable effort toward establishing a price system or vice versa.
Report
Analyzing Deforestation Trends in Colombian REDD+ Projects
Due to the development of tools, regulations, and financial mechanisms, Colombia has recently advanced an initiative to reduce GHGs and deforestation: carbon markets through REDD+ projects
The Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS) and the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) analyzed the behavior of deforestation in areas where REDD+ projects funded by the voluntary carbon market have been implemented, yielding several recommendations to improve their effectiveness.
Agriculture, forestry, and other land uses such as converting forest land into pasture are the main source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Colombia. In 2018, this sector accounted for 59.1% of the country's total emissions.
This shows that deforestation is the main environmental and climate change problem in the country, driven by the appropriation of public lands, extensive cattle farming, road construction, illegal mining, and illegal crops.
Policy Brief
Local Communities and the Voluntary Carbon Market in Latin America and the Caribbean
Lessons learned for the transparent implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
The brief focuses on the technical convergence of carbon markets, including the voluntary carbon market (VCM) and the cooperative mechanisms of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Its main objective is to understand the state of play of the VCM in the region, recognize the challenges in the relationship between VCM projects and local communities, identify the existing and most widely used social and environmental safeguard frameworks and to highlight the risks and challenges for Article 6 safeguards. Considering these objectives, the policy brief aims to identify lessons learned from the VCM and use them for the transparent and socially just implementation of Article 6.
Guide
Acuerdos REDD+ Justos y Equitativo
Una guía pAra la amazonía y El PAcífico
La implementación de iniciativas REDD+ se puede dar a través de programas o proyectos. Los programas cubren grandes áreas, como jurisdicciones de orden nacional o subnacional, donde los gobiernos a través de sus políticas públicas establecen metas para frenar la deforestación. Una segunda versión, correspondiente al alcance de esta guía, está basada en proyectos que se desarrollan en un área específica donde se puede demostrar capacidad administrativa, como propiedades privadas, individuales o colectivas, que mediante el establecimiento de acuerdos financieros buscan aumentar su impacto en la prevención de la deforestación y degradación de los bosques, a fin de generar certificados de carbono para ser comercializados en el mercado de carbono.Esta guía es la actualización de una primera versión elaborada para la Amazonía colombiana2y busca proporcionar insumos, incluyendo ahora la región del Pacífico, para lograr acuerdos justos y equitativos en el desarrollo de proyectos REDD+ del MVC. Las iniciativas REDD+ tienen el potencial de direccionar recursos significativos para la protección de los bosques y el desarrollo de las comunidades que los habitan, pero a su vez puede llevar a estas últimas a ver vulnerados sus derechos o a incurrir en acuerdos desfavorables. La guía busca dar herramientasa organizaciones comunitarias y de la sociedad civil para tener una mejor comprensión sobre el funcionamiento de REDD+ en el MVC, sobre las oportunidades y riesgos de este y sobre cómo, en caso de querer asociarse con terceros para desarrollar un proyecto, lograr acuerdos que maximicen sus beneficios y protejan sus derechos. Para el logro de las conclusiones acá expuestas se desarrolló una investigación sobre el estado del arte de los proyectos REDD+ de la Amazonía y el Pacífico colombianos, los modelos financieros ejecutados y se sostuvieron diálogos directos con cinco organizaciones étnico-territorialesindígenas y afrocolombianas, con el fin de conversar y contrastar las recomendaciones hacia los tratos justos.
Policy Brief
Acuerdos REDD+ Justos y Equitativos
Recomendaciones para entidades públicas, actores de la cadena del mercado de carbono, sociedad civil y organismos internacionales de gobernanza del mercado voluntario de carbono
Los proyectos REDD+ del Mercado Voluntario de Carbono (MVC) en Colombia tienen el potencial de direccionar recursos significativos para la protección de los bosques y para el desarrollo de las comunidades que los habitan. No obstante, su implementación en Colombia, al igual que en otros países, trae consigo retos y potenciales riesgos relativos a la protección de los derechos y la maximización de beneficios para las comunidades involucradas. Estos riesgos se dan, usualmente, en el contexto de acuerdos firmados entre desarrolladores de proyectos y comunidades que habitan y son dueñas del territorio en el cual se van a desarrollar los proyectos.
Policy Brief
Fair and Equitable REDD+ Agreements
Recommendations to Build Integrity in the Colombian Voluntary Carbon Market
This Policy Brief gathers the main recommendations from the Fair and Equitable REDD+ Agreements project, implemented by CCAP and WWF Colombia with support from UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) through the British Embassy in Colombia. The project seeks to improve the participation of ethnic and local communities in Colombian VCM REDD+ projects, including communities’ access to the economic benefits of these projects and directly involving local community members in the design and implementation phases.
As part of this project, WWF Colombia and CCAP convened a working group on Fair and Equitable REDD+ Agreements, comprised of civil society organizations, academia, research institutes and the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC). This also featured a REDD+ Community Expert Group, including nine leaders from the Amazon and Pacific regions who have experience and expertise in the development of community-led REDD+ projects. The insights from these organizations and the dialogues held within these working groups have resulted in the recommendations presented in the Brief.