Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)

Why in News?

The Net-Zero Tracker group which assesses the global climate commitments, found with 93% of global GDP covered by targets the world is on the road to net zero.

What are Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)?

• NDC – These are voluntary commitments by countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of climate change mitigation and achieve Paris agreement.
• The commitments were made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) during United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties ( UN Climate Action Summit)
• Periodic Update - Countries periodically report on their plans and progress in bringing down national levels of planet-warming carbon emissions.
• It was updated every five years till 2021 U.N. climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow after which it will be updated every couple of years.
• The next round of NDC updates is due in February 2025.
• Paris Agreement - Countries agreed under the 2015 UNFCCC Paris Agreement to work together in limiting global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial temperatures.
• Voluntary - Pledges made within an NDC are considered voluntary, with countries facing no legal penalty if they fail to meet their own goals.
• Obligation - Countries are obligated under the Paris Agreement to monitor progress and report on any failures.
• Global Stocktake - It is a fundamental component of the Paris Agreement which is used to monitor the implementation and evaluate the collective progress made in achieving the agreed goals.

Why NDCs are important?

• Control Climate Change – NDCs helps in mitigation and adaptation of climate change at global level.
• Shared Emission Targets - Paris Agreement sets shared global emissions targets and enables each country to decide on achieving it.
• Policy Making – They help in making the environmental and economic policies of a country.
• International Coordination - The NDC reports help countries coordinate their climate policies action with one another.
• Monitoring – Tracking the progress of the countries and the world as whole towards address climate change.
• Attract Funding - Countries with more developed NDCs that outline projects, policies and financing needs get internation climate financing without difficulty.
• Addressing backlogs - NDC reports can also describe backsliding on climate-friendly policy.

More than 170 of the world’s countries met the last NDC deadline ahead of COP26 in early 2021.

What are the challenges in meeting NDCs?

• Coordination challenges – Difficulties in stablishing a mandate for coordinating actions around NDCs and driving their implementation.
• Inadequate resources – Achieving the NDC commitments requires huge monetary, material and technological resources.
• Non developed countries – Least developed countries (LDC) and developing countries though have the will, are at disadvantaged position in meeting the NDC target.
• Inadequate Support from Developed countries – They are hesitant to provide financial and technical support to LDC and developing countries.
• Dependency on Fossil Fuels - Many countries rely heavily on fossil fuels, transitioning to cleaner energy sources can be technologically challenging and expensive.
• Inadequate Infrastructure - Developing countries often lack the necessary infrastructure (e.g., power grids, transportation networks) to support renewable energy and other climate-friendly technologies.

How can the NDC reporting can be improved?

• Cut emissions roughly in half from 2005 levels within the next six years to achieve the Paris goal.
• Improve NDC by making it more detailed, ambitious, and credible.
• Take in the emissions reductions targets for key polluting sectors, such as energy and transportation in the NDC.
• Include adaptation plans to the conditions of a warmer world and keep people safe from increased flooding, heatwaves and other climate extremes.
• Add in the NDC details of the projects to be launched, plans for creating jobs in clean technology industries and plans for public health measure amid increasing temperatures.
• Incorporate NDCs into national law, making their climate commitments legally binding at a national level.

What lies ahead?

• Reconcile national policies with progress in transitioning to clean energy, such as fossil fuel subsidies.
• Make provision to enable a country to monitor its progress toward its NDC pledges.

Reference

The Hindu | Importance of NDSs