UN climate body set to publish NDC Synthesis report

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will publish a full version of the NDC Synthesis report on September 17, 2021. Nationally Determined Contributions – or NDCs – are national climate plans in which countries that are Parties to the Paris Agreement communicate the actions that they plan to take to address climate change.

The publication of the full report follows on from the publication of the initial NDC Synthesis report in February 2021. Covering a much larger number of NDCs compared to the initial publication, the full report will provide a much clearer and more complete global picture of actions being or planned to be undertaken by the governments and how these actions impact greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 and 2030.

NDCs form the basis for countries to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. They contain information on targets, and policies and measures for reducing national emissions and on adapting to climate change impacts.  NDCs also contain information on either the needs for, or the provision of, finance, technologies and capacity building for these actions.

Countries communicate new or updated NDCs every five years starting in 2020.

A full synthesis report of all submitted NDCs had originally been planned to be published close to the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).

Yet owing to the postponement of COP26 from 2020 to November 2021 due to the pandemic and the impact that COVID-19 has had on the NDC preparation process, the publication of this key report has been taken forward in two steps: the publication of the initial report earlier this year, and the publication of the full report on 17 September 2021.

The full report will synthesize information from the latest NDCs of all 191 Parties to the Paris Agreement, including new or updated NDCs, as submitted by 30 July 2021.

An update of the key findings of the report, which will cover updated or new NDCs submitted between 31 July and 12 October 2021, will be published on 25 October. This is to ensure that the most updated information is made available to the COP.

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the physical science basis of climate change issued a stark warning. Without rapid, sustained and large-scale reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels, as enshrined in the Paris Agreement, will be beyond reach.

Ambitious climate action has now become a matter of urgency.

A Party may at any time adjust its existing NDC with a view to enhancing its level of ambition. As a result, all Parties are invited to review once again whether they can increase their ambition. Additionally, all Parties, especially the major economies, that have not yet submitted a new or updated NDC, are invited to do so by 12 October 2021 so that they may be considered in the October update of key findings.