What climate change mainstreaming means in theory?

Abstract

The cross cutting nature of climate change has raised the need to use the mainstreaming approach to deal with the problem in a structural way. Although there is not a common definition about what mainstreaming is in the field of climate change, there is a common understanding that it is a concept that moves climate change from marginal discourse and puts it in the centre of a discussion to redesign policies, legal frameworks and to re-think the operation of institutions, investments and all the relevant processes for climate action across the sectors, including governmental and non governmental actors. Mainstreaming however is not the same as integration; since the latter implies a check-list of actions while mainstreaming aims to re-design and re- plan actions under the lens of climate change, that is a present and a future issue. To achieve climate change mainstreaming there are challenges and limitations, and it not an easy task, the reason why some scholars suggest that the term has been used too loosely in many context, such as in some countries or entities that are claiming to be mainstreaming climate change but are taking decisions that go in the opposite direction of climate goals. In that sense, in order to work towards mainstreaming either as goal or as a process it is important to have a better idea of what mainstreaming is in theory, and to translate it better in practice, which could be useful to comply with international goals such those set by the Paris Agreement.