Fiji: First Carbon Budget Development

Project: Fiji Carbon Budget (FJ21-E1). 

Duty Station: Suva, Fiji.

Contract Duration: February 1^st– December 31^st, 2023.

Number of Workdays Estimated: Deliverable based.

Consultant Level: Specialist/Advisor Level 5.

Total Fees: Thirty-nine thousand united states dollars -$39,000 USD-.

In August 2020, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) approved funding to GGGI for the development and delivery of the Low Emission, Climate Resilient Development (LECRD) program in the Pacific. The multi-country program of work will focus on supporting Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) to develop the policy, legislation, regulations, standards, strategies, roadmaps and investment pipelines necessary to support their transition to low-emissions climate resilient economies and societies. LECRD program activities will be delivered in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu over the course of 3 years.

As part of GGGI´s sustained support for Fiji to advance its policy and regulatory framework to adapt and mitigate climate change, continuous technical assistance has been provided both to conceptualize the Climate Change Act, as well as to approve it in parliament by September 2021, and initiate its implementation since then.  This includes support on key features pertaining capacity building on MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) of activity data from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBoS), and, informing the ongoing review of Fiji´s National Building Code through a Sustainability Chapter, which is an addition being considered to integrate resource efficiency and climate resilience into the building sector.

The Climate Change Act 2021 enacted by the Parliament of Republic of Fiji in September 2021. Part 9, Section 38 of the Climate Change Act 2021 (the Act) enshrines Fiji’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in national law.  To strategically move towards this target, the Act also introduces a legal framework for the introduction of 5-year national carbon budgets. Section 40 (1) of the Climate Change Act 2021 states that each carbon budget must be calculated in relation to Fiji’s 2013 emissions baseline. Each budget must strategically introduce reductions in total emissions in accordance with an achievable trajectory to net zero emissions by 2050. In accordance with Section 40 (2), the Minister must determine a figure that represents the amount of Fiji’s greenhouse gas emissions for the year 2013 in accordance with the IPCC methodologies.

To lead on the support for the Fijian government to develop its carbon budget. GGGI will deliver specialized and sound technical assistance in the form of supporting the entry into force of Part 9 of the CCA through the development of Fiji’s first indicative and refined carbon budgets for the 2026-2030 period.  This is based on the recommended methodological approach to determine Fiji’s first indicative carbon budget (2026-2030) and availability of GHG information and data completed recently.

This assignment implies to continue and deepen the focused technical assistance to co-create, consult and validate with all relevant stakeholders, as well as conducting all the necessary research, scoping and drafting associated to the essential components of the indicative and the refined versions of the carbon budget.  These elements are mainly the following: I) Scope/alignment with the national conditions; II) BAU projections/GHG emissions profile; III) Economy wide budget; IV) Sectoral budgets; V) Methodology; VI) Data and modelling.  All this technical assistance will ultimately result in proposing a highly pertinent and applicable carbon budget for Fiji, which actively and accurately considers and addressees all the current and latest local circumstances and its related needs.  

This work will support the Climate Change and International Cooperation Division (CCICD) of the Fijian Ministry of Economy (MOE), in identifying appropriate approach and methodology to prepare carbon budget. This will be the basis of learning and understanding resources and capacity requirements to prepare consecutive carbon budgets considering Fiji’s national circumstances and requirements as set out in the Climate Change Act 2021.

To this end, the lead consultant will deliver a series of outputs configuring Fiji’s first-refined carbon budget (2026-2030), based on the supportive inputs and preparations delivered by the technical support consultant with whom all these will be closely coordinated.  This assignment will therefore contain six (6) main deliverables, with the following due dates and payment schedule:

Week 62 (60%)

To achieve these, the expected activities to be undertaken are the following, with the support from the technical consultant:

Phase 2

1. Stakeholder consultation on scope and alignment of carbon budget with Fiji’s national circumstances.
2. Desk-top BAU projections GHG emissions profile.
3. Draft determination of economy wide budget.
4. Draft determination of sectoral budget.
5. Stakeholder consultations on draft tentative carbon budget.

Phase 3:

1. Validation of Fiji Carbon Budget (ready to be submitted to Cabinet). 
2. Scoping of carbon budget methodology (for tentative one and for subsequent ones).
3. Data and modelling requirements to determine Fiji’s Updated Carbon Budget (2026-2030).
4. Full development of draft Fiji carbon budget (2026-2030).
5. Stakeholder consultation on draft Fiji carbon budget.

In consideration of the local needs and relevant circumstances, the consultant shall consider and integrate the following considerations into the development of all activities, deliverables, and consultations:

- In determining each carbon budget, in accordance with Section 41 of the Climate Change Act, the Minister must have regard to:

• (a) the long-term emissions reduction target and indicative trajectories for Fiji to achieve the long-term emission reduction target.
• (b) the National Development Plan, NDC, NCCP, LEDS and any other relevant policy instruments;
• (c) potential opportunities across Fiji’s economy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the most efficient and cost-effective manner in the carbon budget period, with reference to any technology relevant to mitigating climate change;
• (d) the best available scientific knowledge about climate change, including relevant information published by the IPCC;
• (e) economic circumstances, in particular the likely impact of the target on
  • (i) the economy; and
  • (ii) the maintenance of competition in particular sectors of the economy;
• (f) social circumstances, in particular the likely impact of the target on the health and wellbeing of Fijians;
• (g) environmental circumstances, in particular the benefits to the environment of emissions reduction;
• (h) natural disasters and the adverse impacts of climate change, and the extent to which they have affected or will affect Fiji’s greenhouse gas emissions;
• (i) the extent to which donor funding has been made available;
• (j) existing national and global action on climate change; and
• (k) any progress towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Fiji.

-  Fiji is reviewing its National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report (NIR). The current NIR has been prepared as part of the Fiji First Biennial Update Report (BUR). Fiji has developed NIR covering GHG inventory during 1994-2019 period. This is the most comprehensive GHG inventory that Fiji has developed. Once agreed by the stakeholders in Fiji, this GHG inventory will be the basis for future reporting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. This will also be the basis for deriving scenarios for future GHG emissions and determination of the national carbon budget, considering requirements under Section 40 (1) and (2) of the Climate Change Act 2021.

-  However, as per Fiji’s Updated NDC 2020, Fiji’s emission peak will be demonstrated in the national GHG inventory time series reported in its BUR, which is expected to be completed by 2024. Hence selection of baseline will be the basis for carbon budget determination.

-  Fiji plans to submit its First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) in 2024 since BUR will be superseded by BTR from 2024. To initiate BTR process Fiji is implementing Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) assistance.

-  A stock take from Fiji’s existing GHG information as reported in Fiji’s Updated NDC 2020 showed that Fiji emitted 1,500 Gg CO2-e in 2013 and projected that energy sector emission will reach to 2,342 Gg CO2-e in 2030 (Fiji Updated NDC 2020). According to Fiji’s Third National Communication (TNC) which covered Fiji’s GHG inventory for the years 2006-2011, showed that the energy sector was the biggest emitter of GHG emissions with 59% of all emissions in 2011, followed by agriculture at 22%, forestry at 15% and waste at 4% (Fiji TNC 2018).

-  While Fiji’s emission peak will be demonstrated in the national GHG inventory series currently being finalized under BUR, Fiji remains committed to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050 (Fiji Updated NDC 2020).  Section 38 (1) of the Climate Change Act 2021 sets the long-term emissions reduction target for Fiji to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as also communicated in Fiji Updated NDC 2020.

The consultant will report to GGGI´s Senior Officer for MRV and NDC Enhancement, based in Suva, Fiji, and will coordinate closely as a team with the other technical support consultant doing all related work to jointly deliver Fiji’s first-refined carbon budget (2026-2030), and ensure a streamlined, efficient, and effective delivery of all outputs and the timely completion of all activities. 

• Qualified professional with a relevant master’s degree.
• 8-15 years of relevant experience in climate change and-or sustainable development related matters.
• A least 5+ years’ experience in advising governments to address climate change and-or sustainable development in policy-projects, including stakeholder consultations. 
• Excellent writing and communication skills to autonomously drive policy making processes.

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.