The NDC Partnership is a network of over 120 countries, facilitated by UNFCCC, that is dedicated to helping each other strengthen their Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Pledges. The Partnership has just released Version 3.0 of the NDC Navigator, an interactive tool that supports the development of updated country NDCs to be submitted in 2025. Below are Climate Scorecard Country Managers’ advice to their countries of what needs to be done to strengthen their NDCs based on the framework of the NDC Partnership Navigator.
Dear the UK Minister of Environment,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am pleased to present recommendations that I have prepared to strengthen the UK’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in preparation for the 2025 submission, using insights from the newly released NDC 3.0 Navigator. I am hoping you will find this useful. Please find below the suggested recommendations across the critical routes identified in NDC 3.0 Navigator:
Route #1: Aligning UK’s NDC with the Paris Agreement Temperature Goal
UK’s NDC alignment to limit global warming to 1.5°C:
Meeting Emission Reduction Targets: The UK “Net Zero Strategy” aimed to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the British economy by 2050. The UK’s Latest input in its NDC data set (2022) regarding emissions stated that the UK is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
It is recommended that the inputs in the NDC data set include the share of emissions reductions per sector, e.g., the share of GHG reductions in the Energy sector (including transport), Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), Agriculture, Land-use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), and Waste management sectors.
Renewable Energy: It is recommended that the UK provide data on its NDC data set about the outputs of the “UK Hydrogen Strategy” and “Battery Storage” and the progress of low-carbon hydrogen production to meet the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget (As Required Under the Climate Change Act) and net zero by 2050 commitments.
Route #2: Aligning France’s NDC with the Global Goal of Adaptation
Adaptation: It is recommended that the UK provides adaptation & data in its NDC data set, including examples of the UK’s actions and approach regarding climate change adaptation and resilience (domestic and international), for example:
- They built flood defenses for protection from floods and sea levels,
- The planned and executed new green spaces in urban areas,
- They planned for and adopted more drought-resistant crops,
- Embedding consideration of climate change into business, exporters, and suppliers through the global transition to net zero.
Set Measurable Adaptation Targets: It is recommended that the UK presents in its NDC data set measurable targets, milestones, and allocated/possible funds related to climate change adaptation, for example:
- The “Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy Roadmap to 2026” sets targets and practical actions to present progress toward the strategy’s 2100 vision.
- Also, allocated funds to improve the climate change resilience of different sectors should be presented in the NDC.
- Another set of targets includes:
- Farming/agriculture and land management,
- Flood risk,
- Water resource management,
- The environmental land management scheme,
- The health sector improvement,
- Forests and woods, etc….
Route #3: Supporting a Just and Equitable Transition in the UK
- Address the needs of different societies/groups: It is recommended that the UK develop “The Equitable Transition Initiative” from an initiative to a set of laws to ensure equity in the costs and benefits of mitigation actions for workers, consumers, vulnerable communities, suppliers of goods and services, and businesses, specifically small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
By achieving this, the UK will be able to promote an inclusive, environmentally sustainable economy (creating decent work opportunities, reducing inequality, and leaving no one behind) and also help fight fuel poverty for vulnerable groups who struggle between heating homes or paying for food.
- Decision-Making: It is recommended that the UK prepares a Just and Equity decision-making framework; the framework should outline present problems, possible solutions, and implementation. This process involves observation, gathering data/information, assessing, planning, implementation, and review. The frequency of review relies on decisions, new findings, new information, or a change in the societies/business objectives and the uprise of constraints.
By implementing these recommendations, the UK can significantly enhance the data set presented by the NDCs and strengthen the UK’s Paris Agreement (NDC) pledges. This will help raise the UK’s ambition and accelerate its climate change leadership.
With my best regards,
Haga Mohamed, UK Country Manager, Climate Scorecard