What are Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)?
NDCs are ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ and they represent the commitments of each country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. They were agreed to by countries during the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) in Paris in 2015, a commitment known as ‘The Paris Agreement’.
Under the agreement, countries across the globe have committed to taking action to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. Nations in the agreement, known as Parties, also agreed to take actions to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This includes supporting developing nations with financial and technical support.
These initial commitments to decarbonise, transition to lower carbon and renewable energy, are not sufficient to keep global temperature rise below 2.0 degrees. Every five years, countries are expected to review and enhance their NDCs, and submit more ambitious actions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
These promises are contained in pledges known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). NDCs detail the actions Parties plan to take from 2020, and include targets, measures and policies. They are the basis for national climate action plans. NDCs are to be updated every five years – with the first update delayed until 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without strong, coordinated and urgent action, rising global temperatures will bring stronger and more frequent storms, floods, droughts, rising sea-levels and many other devastating impacts. Climate change is a growing threat to human prosperity and to human health.
UNEP can support and enable countries to meet their climate commitments in various ways. UNEP helps identify and provide guidance on the economic sectors with the highest potential for resource efficiency, climate mitigation and adaptation. UNEP can provide expert guidance on how to harness climate benefits from nature-based solutions and how to use resources more efficiently to help countries transition to greener, more sustainable and resilient economies. The NDC Action Project is an example of how we do this, in practice.
