NDCs and Renewable Energy Targets in 2021

Are we on the right path to a climate-safe future?

Under the Paris Agreement and COP26, countries enhanced their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and declared ambitious mitigation pledges such as net zero. Despite making a sizeable difference to greenhouse gas emissions and global temperature rise, we still need to set the world on a climate-safe pathway.

Governments, financial institutions, and private sector entities must broaden ambition commensurate to the scale of the climate threat, followed by real, short-term, accelerated implementation: a key feature of the Glasgow Climate Pact made at the COP26.

This report assesses current climate pledges in light of the challenge ahead, and explores the transformative opportunity offered by renewable energy that can serve as an important vehicle for delivering the needed emission reductions, as well as multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Among the findings:

• To date, 193 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement (up from 190 in 2020) and 194 Parties have now submitted an NDC.
• Together with the new and updated NDCs, current and announced net zero pledges are projected to further reduce emissions by 2030, with the potential to limit warming to 2.1°C, avoiding a more catastrophic rise of above 2.8C under the initial NDCs.
• As of 15 November 2021, 182 Parties had included renewable energy components in their NDCs, of which only 144 had a quantified target. From these targets, 109 focus on power and 30 explicitly mention heating and cooling or transport. Only 13 Parties have committed to a percentage of renewables in their overall energy mixes.

• G20 members account for roughly 75% of global GHG emissions; 19 submitted new or updated NDCs out of which only 11 have submitted an NDC with pledges that are stronger than their previous NDC.
• Around 32 LDCs and 27 SIDS, representing a total of 55 parties, have submitted new, updated or second NDCs since September 2020, of which more than 35 Parties submitted stronger pledges. About 44 Parties included renewable energy targets.
• In 178 countries, a mismatch exists between renewable energy targets in NDCs and those featuring in national laws and official strategies and plans.