News

Germany, Denmark, European Commission and the UK support additional climate change mitigation projects in South Africa and Guatemala

July 12, 2015

Press Release

The NAMA Facility continues to support the implementation of National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) that are ambitious and stand out for their potential for transformational change towards a low-carbon development pathway in developing countries and emerging economies. In the end of April 2016, the four Donors of the NAMA Facility have pre-approved two additional NAMA Support Projects for funding:

The South African Government is supported in enhancing energy efficiency in public sector buildings by improving the conditions for the private sector to deliver energy efficiency services and relieve municipal and provincial governments from some of the high up-front investment costs. This could become a permanent push for lowering energy consumption in buildings and reducing the strain on the South African energy generation.

In Guatemala, improved energy efficiency in households of rural and particularly indigenous communities will decrease the unsustainable use of firewood while creating considerable health and social benefits for women and children. The project will complement Guatemala’s efforts to protect its forests and to conserve this important natural carbon sink.

Already in November 2015, three ambitious NAMA Support Projects in Colombia, China and Kenya have been pre-approved from the NAMA Facility’s 3^rd Call for applications. All five pre-selected projects have been linked to the partner countries’ intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) to the Paris Agreement and thus can serve the actual implementation of their (I)NDCs.

Meanwhile, the Thailand Refrigeration and Air Conditioning NAMA, which was selected in the 2^nd Call of the NAMA Facility, has received its final go from Donors to move on to implementation. With the financial support of the NAMA Facility of up to EUR 14,722,000, Thailand is striving to convert its refrigeration and air conditioning sector by setting the regulatory framework and stimulating supply and demand for energy efficient and climate friendly technologies in the market.

In 2012, the NAMA Facility was jointly established by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) and the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate (EFKM) and the European Commission joined the programme as new Donors in 2015. The NAMA Facility aims at providing financial support to developing countries and emerging economies that show leadership in tackling climate change and that want to implement transformational country-led NAMAs (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions) within the existing global mitigation architecture in the short term. Total funding made available through the Facility since its inception is EUR 202 million. 14 projects are receiving support.