Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) | UPSC Notes

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) serve as the main method for governments to communicate their intended actions for combating climate change on a global scale. Considering its unique domestic situation and capabilities, these declarations outline a country's aspirations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Some nations also detail their plans for adapting to the effects of climate change and specify the assistance they require from or can offer other countries in adopting environmentally friendly practices and enhancing their resilience to climate-related challenges. NDC serves as a strategy for climate action, aiming to reduce emissions and enhance resilience to climate-related effects. Every party involved in the Paris Agreement is obligated to formulate an NDC and revise it at five-year intervals.

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Environment subject in the General Studies Paper-3 syllabus and current events of national importance in UPSC prelims.

In this article, we shall study in detail the objectives, working mechanism of INDC, important facts for India, and features of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions UPSC.

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What is Intended Nationally Determined Contributions INDC?

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) refer to the pledges and commitments made by individual countries to outline their intended actions in addressing climate change. These contributions are submitted by countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ahead of major international climate conferences. INDCs typically outline a country's proposed greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, adaptation strategies, and other measures to combat climate change. The concept emerged in the lead-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement, where countries collectively agreed to limit global temperature increases. INDCs serve as a crucial tool for promoting transparency, accountability, and collective global efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Here we will discuss the background, launch, and purpose of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC).

History of INDC

At the COP21 Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris in December 2015, nations worldwide adopted a historic global climate agreement. In advance of this, nations made their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), also known as post-2020 climate measures under the new international agreement, public. The world’s ability to hold the global average temperature to well below 2°C, pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C, and reach net zero emissions in the second half of this century largely depends on the climate policies outlined in these INDCs.

The below table shows the efforts taken by Intended Nationally Determined Contributions toward climate justice.

Need for Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

The INDCs establish a beneficial feedback loop between local and global climate change decision-making. Governments primarily use INDCs to announce internationally the actions they plan to combat climate change in their respective nations. Considering its circumstances and capabilities, each country’s INDCs indicate its ambition to reduce emissions. Some nations also discuss how they’ll deal with the effects of climate change and what assistance they’ll need from or give to other nations to embrace low-carbon lifestyles and strengthen their climate resilience. 

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Objectives of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions 

The Paris Agreement and the accomplishment of its long-term objectives are based on nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The NDCs represent each nation’s efforts to lower national emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change. Each Party shall prepare, communicate, and maintain consecutive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it expects to achieve by Article 4, Paragraph 2, of the Paris Agreement. Parties shall adopt domestic mitigating measures to accomplish the goals of such contributions.

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Features of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions 

Some of the salient features of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions include the following:

• Promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle rooted in conservation and moderation values.
• Embrace a climate-friendly and cleaner approach surpassing previous models at the corresponding economic level.
• Aim to reduce GDP emissions intensity by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from the 2005 baseline.
• Target a cumulative 40 percent of electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, leveraging technology transfer and low-cost international finance.
• Establish an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through increased forest and tree cover by 2030.
• Enhance adaptation to climate change by investing in vulnerable sectors like agriculture, water resources, Himalayan region, coastal areas, health, and disaster management.
• Secure domestic and additional funds from developed nations to bridge the resource gap for implementing mitigation and adaptation actions.
• Develop capacities, establish a domestic framework, and international architecture for the swift dissemination of cutting-edge climate technology in India, encouraging collaborative R&D for future technologies.

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Focus Areas of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

The key focus areas of the INDCs are:

• Promote sustainable lifestyles based on conservation and moderation values.
• Embrace a climate-friendly and cleaner economic development path compared to previous models at the corresponding economic level.
• Target a 33 to 35 percent reduction in the emissions intensity of GDP by 2030 from the 2005 level.
• Aim for 40 percent cumulative electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, facilitated by technology transfer and low-cost international finance, including the Green Climate Fund.
• Establish an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through increased forest and tree cover by 2030.
• Enhance adaptation to climate change by increasing investments in vulnerable sectors such as agriculture, water resources, the Himalayan region, coastal areas, health, and disaster management.
• Mobilize domestic and new funds from developed countries to implement mitigation and adaptation actions, considering the resource requirements and gaps.
• Build capacities and create a domestic framework and international architecture for the rapid dissemination of cutting-edge climate technology in India, fostering joint collaborative R&D for future technologies.

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Working of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions INDC

INDCs link national policy decisions with a global framework under the Paris Agreement, aligning contributions with national priorities, circumstances, and capabilities for collective action toward a zero-carbon, climate-resilient future. They establish a constructive feedback loop between national and international decision-making on climate change.

INDCs serve as the primary means for governments to communicate internationally their intended steps to address climate change, reflecting each country's emissions reduction ambition, considering domestic circumstances and capabilities. Some countries also outline their strategies for adapting to climate change impacts and specify the support they need from or will provide to other nations in adopting low-carbon pathways and building climate resilience.

NDC Synthesis Report

The NDC Synthesis Report synthesizes and analyzes Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, as communicated by countries under the Paris Agreement. Periodically issued by the UNFCCC, it provides perspective on where the world stands in light of common climate goals. It looks at the combined contribution of NDCs toward greenhouse gas emissions, underlining the difference between what is so far pledged and what is actually required to hold global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The report emphasizes how immediacy in increasing ambition and furthering climate action by all countries will go a long way in tackling this crisis and continuing with sustainable development.

Key Findings of the NDC Synthesis Report 2023

There are wide variations of modeling-specific and scenario-specific projections of future global levels of GHG emissions, but most projections show that global emissions will continue to rise unless major changes are made to energy systems, transportation, and other sectors.

• Insufficient Progress: Lack of Sufficient progress is a reason where, according to UNFCCC's NDC Synthesis Report 2023, current Nationally Determined Contributions are insufficient to hold global warming at 1.5° C targeted by the Paris Agreement.
• Increasing Emissions: Current country pledges under NDCs will see global GHG emissions increase 9% above the 2010 level by 2030.
• Action Urged: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that any hope of avoiding disastrous climate change depends on rapid and deep reductions in emissions.

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Expected Outcomes

India has continued to decouple its economic expansion from greenhouse gas emissions gradually.

• Indian Railways alone will reduce emissions by 60 million tonnes yearly by achieving its Net Zero goal by 2030. Similarly, India is decreasing emissions by 40 million tonnes yearly thanks to a large LED bulb push.
• India has so far financed most of its climate initiatives with local funds. However, one of the commitments and duties of the developed countries under UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement is to transfer technology and provide new and additional financial resources to address the global climate change crisis.
• India will also need its fair share of these global financial and technological resources. India’s NDC does not obligate it to take any sector-specific mitigation measures.
• India seeks to protect the weakest sectors of its economy and society while steadily reducing its overall emission intensity and improving its economy’s energy efficiency.

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Conclusion

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) are a crucial tool in the fight against climate change. The UNFCCC is working to achieve the goals set for the various nations. According to India, approving the updated INDC demonstrates that the country is putting more effort into better achieving the objectives of the INDC.

UPSC Previous Year Questions on Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

1.Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (UPSC 2021)

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