Paris Agreement goals: UN urges countries to update emission targets

Context: The UNFCCC, in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Synthesis Report, has called for more ambitious climate action plans by the countries in order to achieve the Paris Agreement target of containing global temperature rise to 2°C (ideally 1.5°C) by the end of the century.

• The report was sought ahead of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UNFCCC which is scheduled to take place from 1st-12th November 2021, in Glasgow, UK.
• NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Each NDC reflects the country’s ambition, taking into account its domestic circumstances and capabilities.

Key highlights of the report

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) called for more ambitious climate action plans by the countries in order to achieve the Paris Agreement target of containing global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius (ideally 1.5°C) by the end of the century.
• The United Kingdom and the European Union are the only regions among 18 of the world’s biggest emitters that have significantly increased their greenhouse gas reduction targets.
• Of the 197 Parties to the UNFCCC, only 75 have submitted new or updated nationally determined contributions (NDC) till December 31, 2020.
• These Parties account for 30% of the global greenhouse emissions.
• Other major emitters either submitted NDCs presenting a very low increase in their ambition level or have not presented NDCs yet.
• While the combined impact of all the countries ambitions will help achieve only a 1% reduction by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. 
• However, global emissions need to reduce by 45% in order to meet the 1.5°C goal.

Paris Agreement

• Paris Agreement (also known as the Conference of Parties 21 or COP 21) is a landmark environmental accord that was adopted in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.
• It replaced the Kyoto Protocol which was an earlier agreement to deal with climate change.

Aims: To reduce global GHG emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase in this century to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing means to limit the increase to 1.5°C by 2100. It also includes:

• Addressing the financial losses vulnerable countries face from climate impacts such as extreme weather.
• Providing financial assistance to countries that are less endowed and more vulnerable enabling them to adapt to climate change and transition to clean energy.
• Climate finance is needed for mitigation, because large-scale investments are required to significantly reduce emissions. However, this part of the deal has been made non-legally binding on developed countries.

Nationally Determined Contributions

• They are the accounts of the voluntary efforts to be made by countries that are a part of the Paris Agreement.
• In their NDCs, countries communicate actions they will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic climate change in order to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Long-Term Strategies

• The Paris Agreement invites countries to formulate and submit by 2020 long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LT-LEDS).
• LT-LEDS provide the long-term horizon to the NDCs.
• Unlike NDCs, they are not mandatory.

India’s commitment

• In 2015, ahead of the UN significant climate conference in Paris, India announced three major voluntary commitments called the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)
• Improving the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33–35% by 2030 over 2005 levels
• Increasing the share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity to 40% by 2030 and
• Enhancing its forest cover, thereby absorbing 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide