Principles for Enhancing Earth System Governance and Sustainable Development Through Informality

Even though the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change introduced the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) framework as a novel mechanism for improving climate change governance and promoting sustainable development, some studies show that NDCs are still far from achieving the 2°C target. Non-state actors from the informal economy can potentially improve the implementation of the NDCs framework and Sustainable Development Goals framework as much of the urban population growth occurring in developing nations is taking place in slums/informal settlements. This paper is therefore an inductive inquiry to address knowledge gaps on how non-state actors can augment Earth System Governance and NDC implementation in the context of Global South cities. The paper highlights that Earth System Governance and climate change adaptation may be improved by increasing the use of South-South Climate Finance mechanisms in urban adaptation programmes and facilitating institutional reforms that can lead to substantial increases in domestic tax collection.

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