PROPOSED TOOLS FOR MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES INTO AZERBAIJAN’S ENERGY POLICY

Abstract

Climate change is affecting the global environment mainly through greenhouse gas emissions, largely caused by energy-related industries. International organizations and countries have been therefore making efforts to consider this problem in their policies by re-defining their policies and strategies towards ‘low-emission’ concept, thus, linking climate change with energy-related policies and strategies. This challenge requires cohesive activities incorporating societal, economic, and technical aspects. Mainstreaming, or adapting, climate change issues into macro level sectors including energy sector have been therefore scholarly studied and applied, particularly by various international organization in the context of assisting governments in adapting climate change. This paper examines the various methodological approaches on adapting climate change issues into energy policies of countries, and the best practices of countries that mainstreamed climate change issues into their energy policies. Based on the analysis of existing approaches and tools for mainstreaming climate change agenda into energy policy, the author discusses and proposes the potential tools for mainstreaming climate change issues into Azerbaijan’s energy policy. The paper has the following structure: (i) The link between climate change and energy policy; (ii) Methodological frameworks and approaches in mainstreaming climate change into energy policy; (iii) Potential tools for mainstreaming climate change issues into Azerbaijan’s energy policy. The paper was prepared within the framework of the consultancy work for the United Nations Development Program’s project “Developing guidelines on mainstreaming climate change and gender concept into the energy policy for Azerbaijan” in 2021-2022.