Guide helps least developed countries prepare INDCs

Ricardo-AEA and the Climate & Development Knowledge Network have published a guide to help least developed countries prepare their intentions to reduce emissions under a new UN agreement to be created during the next Conference of the Parties in December 2015, their so-called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
During the Conference of the Parties (COP), held in Warsaw in November 2013, Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) decided to “invite all Parties to initiate or intensify domestic preparations for their intended nationally determined contributions […]” in preparation of creating a new international climate agreement by the conclusion of the UNFCCC COP in Paris in December 2015. Parties agreed to publicly outline the post-2020 climate actions they intend to take under a new international agreement to reduce emissions, taking into account its domestic circumstances and capabilities. These intentions, which are called the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), should be communicated to the UNFCCC secretariat before 1 October 2015.

To help least developed countries (LDCs) prepare their INDCs for the UNFCCC, consulting firm Ricardo-AEA and Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) have developed and published a practical guide on the INDCs. The Guide to INDCs was initiated at the request of some LDC and offers a practical example of how an INDC could be structured, with examples to illustrate a narrative and sources of background information.

As LDCs have contributed the least to global warming, their burden of cutting emissions “should reflect their special circumstances” and take into account national circumstances and levels of capacity, preparedness and ambition.

Commenting on the guide, Kiran Sura, Head of Advocacy Fund for Negotiations Support at CDKN, says: “While many of the LDCs we work with are keen to show their commitment to a global ambitious deal on climate change, many are struggling to put together their national contribution as the current guidance is insufficiently detailed. We hope this guidance and template, built from CDKN and Ricardo-AEAs experience of supporting LDCs over many years, will be a useful tool to help bridge this gap.”