From plans to implementation

Technologies are critical to our response to the climate crisis, and climate technologies play an integral part in national climate plans. But how do we move from Technology Action Plans, developed under the TNA project to actual implementation, and what actually works and creates real change? These were some of the questions discussed during the recent TNA global workshop held in Bangkok. During the workshop successful examples of implementation were shared between countries which concluded their TNA’s some years back and countries who are in the early phases of the TNA project cycle. The good news is there we do have a lot of very good examples, the bad is that we need climate finance to see the change we want: - Increased capacity on drought early warning systems in Ghana - accelerated adoption of renewable energy technologies for agriculture in Cambodia - improved waste management in Thailand - investments in grid-connected solar PV in Cuba - increase in the use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies amongst micro, small and medium size enterprises in Mongolia. In Africa alone, UNEP, through the TNA project, has supported 37 countries to identify their climate technology needs. However, a recurring challenge is the need for climate finance.

A clear call to action

From the workshop in Bangkok, the call to action was clear: We need more climate action and more collaboration with the private sector to secure implementation. TNA projects provide a good foundation to engage with the private sector, and commercial banks, working with them along with national and subnational governments in moving from Technology Action Plans to implementation. During the workshop the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility brought in concrete knowledge on how countries can bridge action plans towards implementation on the ground and spur real change for people and planet. The clock is ticking and we need to upscale implementation of climate technology responding to the climate crisis Now.