Today the UN published a report evaluating the progress countries are making toward submitting stronger climate plans (NDCs) including targets for decarbonisation by 2030 as required under the Paris Agreement.
The report shows insufficient progress is being made so far, with many countries yet to submit new 2030 NDCs ahead of this November’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
Quote on Paris Agreement climate targets
Alexandra Scott, E3G Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics Programme Lead, said:
“Too many countries are off-track when it comes tomeeting their promise of raising climate ambition. With just eight months to go until COP26, all countriesmust come forward with NDCs to firmly put us on the path to limiting global warming to 1.5˚C.”
“Recently, many countries – like China, Japan, and South Korea – have been rightly praised for setting long-term net–zero climate targets, with more countriesexpected to follow. But net–zero is not enough. To make credible targets that can spur emissions reductions, countries must also commit to ambitious 2030 targets, especially countries like Australia and Brazil who failed to increase ambition in their NDCs last year. Together this will build crucial momentum ahead of COP26.”
“The world will now be looking to April’s US Climate Leaders’ Summit, June’s G7 and October’s G20 Summits as key opportunities for raising climate ambition.”
Notes to Editors
- E3G is an independent European climate change think tank accelerating the transition to a climate safe world. E3G is made up of world leading strategists on the political economy of climate change, dedicated to achieving a safe climate for all.
- In 2020, E3G was ranked the seventh most globally influential environmental think tank by the Global Go To Think Tank Index.
- In 2019, signatory countries to the Paris Agreement mandated the UN publish an NDC synthesis report ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, initially scheduled for December 2020. Under the agreement, all countries were expected to submit enhanced 2030 NDCs by the end of last year. This report was intended to assess whether countries met this deadline.
- As a result of COVID-19, COP26 has been postponed to November 2021. This has led to the UN to delay publication of the initial report, and instead publish two synthesis reports. An initial synthesis report today, summarising NDCs submitted before the 2020 deadline and an update to this report, to be published ahead of COP26, to contain the latest available information.
