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Climate change is a complex and urgent issue that demands a coordinated, global response to drive technology innovation, investment, and deployment on an unprecedented scale to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve resilience to the effects of climate change. 

The current climate crisis is impacting countries differently, with developing and least developed countries paying the consequences of a crisis they have contributed to the least, in addition compounding factors exacerbates the impact of climate change on women and vulnerable communities. 

In response to this crisis, the European Commission is funding the Innovative Climate Solutions (ICS) Programme, that will focus on transformative action on the ground through seven technical assistance projects in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The Euro 2 million programme also presents an opportunity to also connect to the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge agreed at COP28.

The capacity of each country to respond to climate change varies widely in terms of institutions, resources, and networks for this technological innovation to occur fast enough, last longer, and deliver tangible results. The developed countries, by and large, have the resources and tools necessary to better respond to these challenges whereas most developing countries have more limited capacity and access.  The ICS Programme intends to support developing countries in transformative change using innovative climate technologies.

“We can still limit warming to 1.5°C but this requires unprecedented system transformations. For net-zero around 2050, system transitions are needed, enabled by conditions such as technology.”                                

- IPCC 6^th Assessment Report

Here are the countries where the Programme pilots are being implemented: 

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Context 

The transfer of technologies encompasses a broad set of processes covering the flows of know-how, experience and equipment for mitigating and adapting to climate change amongst different stakeholders, such as governments, private sector entities, financial institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and research/education institutions. 

The CTCN works to increase these flows of know-how, experience and equipment and improve the quality of assistance by adopting inclusive and innovative approaches based on learnings from our decade of operation. 

The European Commission’s support to the CTCN will accelerate the transfer, development, and deployment of carbon neutral and climate adaptation technologies in the most vulnerable countries. The EU as the industrial lead in the fast-growing net-zero technology sector will support developing countries to materialise its decarbonisation pathways to achieve climate targets. For instance, through a twinning arrangement, leading EU innovative clean tech companies can work together with enterprises in developing countries to strengthen capacity of local entrepreneurs and share know-hows to develop standards to support the scale up of technologies across emerging markets. 

Background 

The CTCN’s delivery model prioritises innovative projects where the impact of technologies can be amplified by strengthening national systems of innovation and digitalization capacity, hence forming a solid base for accelerating progress towards net-zero goal and long-term climate action. The grant supports least developing countries and SIDS, which are most vulnerable and less equipped to respond to climate change.