Private Sector Engagement in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Implications in Regional Governance

Abstract

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects the economies and socio-cultural, ecological and other vulnerabilities of countries. Thus, governments around the world have started to comprehensively address the challenges of climate change through National or Regional or International Climate Change or Disaster Risk Mitigation and Adaptation Action Plans. These Plans often provide key actions that enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of communities and natural ecosystems to climate change. In addition, these also adopt economic and other valuation of natural resources that to a certain extent, ensures biodiversity conservation. These Plans also provide for a policy environment that encourages the participation of the private sector in adaptation and mitigation towards sustainable development. This paper thus aims to review some of the private sector initiatives in among others, building Sustainable Energy, encouraging Climate-Smart Industries and Services and in other support initiatives for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The review will cover private sector engagement in the Philippines and other countries (where information may be available), with the end in view of analyzing constraints and opportunities in maximizing their participation.

This paper may be instructive of the next steps to harness the private sector in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

This will be mainly done through desk review of plans, programs, materials and related literature on the topic at hand.