What Are NDCs and Why They Matter for Our Climate Future

What Are NDCs?

NDCs, or Nationally Determined Contributions, are the beating heart of the Paris Agreement. They represent each country’s self-defined plan for tackling climate change - both by cutting greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and by preparing for climate impacts (adaptation).

Unlike top-down treaties of the past, NDCs are designed to be nationally determined. Each country sets its own goals in line with its capacities, development priorities, and resources. This flexibility is what made the Paris Agreement possible: nearly every nation on Earth joined, from the largest economies to the smallest island states.

Why NDCs Matter

The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, and ideally to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak as soon as possible and then decline rapidly, reaching a balance between emissions and removals (such as forests or carbon capture technologies) in the second half of the century.

NDCs are how the world gets there. They are not abstract commitments - they are the roadmaps, scoreboards, and moral compasses guiding global climate action.

What Goes Into an NDC?

An NDC typically covers three major areas:

1. Emission reduction targets: These are the numerical commitments (e.g., reduce emissions 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels).
2. Adaptation strategies: Measures to strengthen resilience in agriculture, water systems, health, or infrastructure.
3. Support needs: Many developing countries include conditional targets, meaning they depend on receiving international finance, technology transfer, or capacity-building to fully deliver their pledges.

The Five-Year Cycle of Ambition

One of the most innovative features of the Paris Agreement is the “ratchet mechanism.” Every five years, countries must submit a new or updated NDC. Each one must represent a progression - no backsliding allowed. They must reflect the country’s “highest possible ambition.”

This cycle creates a steady upward pull on global action. The first round of NDCs was due in 2020, and the next round comes in 2025. In between, countries may voluntarily adjust their NDCs at any time if they want to increase ambition.

Transparency and Accountability

There is no international “climate police” enforcing NDCs. Instead, the system relies on transparency and peer pressure.

• The UNFCCC maintains a public NDC Registry, where all submissions are available for anyone to read.
• Every five years, starting in 2023, a Global Stocktake assesses the world’s collective progress toward the Paris goals. The results are meant to inform and inspire stronger NDCs in the next cycle.

This openness creates reputational incentives: no government wants to be seen as the one holding back global progress.

Real-World Examples

• European Union: Committed to cut emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
• India: Focuses on expanding renewable energy and reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP.
• Small Island Developing States: Highlight adaptation needs, since sea-level rise and extreme weather threaten their very existence.

The Big Picture

NDCs are both ambitious and imperfect. On one hand, they represent the first time in history that nearly every nation has pledged climate action. On the other, current NDCs are not yet enough to keep warming below 1.5°C. The gap between ambition and action remains wide.

But the framework is built for growth: with every five-year cycle, countries are expected to go further, faster, and fairer. NDCs capture both the urgency of the climate crisis and the spirit of cooperation needed to solve it.

In short: NDCs are the backbone of global climate action - the plans that, together, determine whether we succeed or fail in safeguarding our future.