From Climate Commitments to National Pathways: Why NDCs Must Evolve
When the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it marked a major turning point in global climate governance. For the first time, climate action was anchored in a universal yet differentiated mechanism, grounded in national realities: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The Agreement stipulates that each Party shall prepare, communicate, and maintain successive contributions that represent a progression beyond the previous one and reflect the highest possible level of ambition [1]. Contrary to a still widespread perception, NDCs were never designed as fixed commitments. They constitute an evolving … Continue reading