Getting Started Now: Capacity Building for the Data System Foundations of Sectoral Approaches. CEPS Special Report, 22 April 2010

Sectoral approaches to mitigating climate change depend on setting goals that incorporate performance indicators – such as benchmarks and the effective application of measurement, reporting and verification requirements – supported by well-developed data systems. At the same time, each host country deciding to adopt these approaches needs to develop and demonstrate the ability to implement the scheme. This report briefly introduces the basic requirements for sectoral approaches while drawing lessons from current efforts. It discusses major issues related to the capacities of a host country with a focus on data availability, accessibility and measurability. Finally, the report proposes six operational steps to accelerate capacity building. This report is a result of the study on “Global sectoral approaches as part of the post-2012 framework” by an international consortium and supported by the European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry.