SSB General awareness series: All you need to know about INDC - Part1

Critical analysis of INDC: Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

Countries across the world have decided to create a new international climate agreement on a United Nations Framework on Conventional Climate Change (UNFCCC). There is conference in the end of the year (Dec 2015) in Paris regarding the same. For this, countries have agreed to announce a public outline of their actions they will take after 2020 under a new international agreement, known as their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). The INDCs will determine if the world is able to come to a common agreement in order to lower carbon emission and have a climate-resilient future.

How will it work?

The INDC will consist of countries determining their contributions to reduce greenhouse gases, taking into account their national priorities, circumstances and capabilities enough to keep global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. They will determine an action plan to reduce greenhouse gases by decreasing their dependency on fossil fuels and using alternative sources of energy . This will be included in a global framework to decrease carbon emission and climate-resilient future. It will create a constructive feedback loop between national and international bodies so as to benefit the world.

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The primary aim for the governments will be to submit a report as to how they will decrease their emissions according to their capabilities and circumstances. Also, they need to tell how they will adapt to the climatic changes. Moreover, they can ask for support if needed.

For developed countries, they need to define a target of the reductions in carbon emissions by the year 2025-2030. Such pledges will touch every sector of the economy. Few sectors may be left out by some countries such as the forestry and land-use sector.

For developing countries the rules are a bit different. They can plan to have overall emissions to rise but at a much slower rate so that it doesn’t affect their economic growth. Another strategy can be to have a renewable energy goal in which countries can develop a model in which it will reduce the emissions from new fossil-fueled power plants.

Submission of Report:

A number of countries have already submitted their INDCs, including the European Union, the United States, Russia and Mexico. Many other countries are expected to send their INDCs before October 2015.

All INDCs submitted to the Secretariat by October 1st will be included in a synthesis report by the UNFCCC Secretariat that will be released by November 1st. A report from the Climate Institute for UNFCCC and UNDP suggests that one third of the 81 surveyed countries have still need to begin their INDC, as of March 2015. Approximately another third have started the national discussion, but not proceeded to the technical design.

Switzerland has become the first country to submit the report by February, 2015. It has experienced a temperature change 1.75 °C since 1864, and aim to set up a new policy framework and build on existing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. 

The United States has proposed a 26-28 percent reduction of emissions below 2005 levels by 2025;

Chile has put forward a draft INDC which includes a reduction in the emissions intensity of its economy (25-30 percent or 30-35 percent reduction in intensity by 2025, and 35-40 percent or 40-45 percent by 2030 relative to 2007 levels) as its primary INDC, while also pursuing separate forestry sector action as a second INDC element; and

China committed to peak its carbon dioxide emissions around 2030, while striving to peak earlier, and generate 20 percent of its total energy supply from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. 

There is lot more to see, keep reading and wait for the final part of this series;

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Click here to read: SSB General awareness series: All you need to know about INDC - Part2
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About the Author:  Pranav Nikam is an Electrical and Electronics engineer who is working in a renowned MNC in Chennai. He likes to work out in gym, do photography and play badminton. Through his articles he wants to spread awareness among other defence aspirants.