Image: Crystal Clear Water of Papa New Guinea
By Daphne Rasehei – EMTV Online
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) were submitted by 195 UN member states in last year’s historic climate summit in the French capital, Paris.
The historic deal reached in Paris meant that the legal foundation for the previous INDCs can now be submitted as final Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and Papua New Guinea became the first to officially present its plan this week.
In a statement, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres, said “I congratulate Papua New Guinea on this first NDC… Before the UN climate change conference in Paris, the international community had already envisioned an unprecedented response with almost every nation on Earth setting out their preliminary action plans to address climate change.”
Figueres also added “these provide the foundation upon which the world will over time strengthen their ability to keep a global temperature rise well under 2C if not 1.5C, and build resilient societies. Much more remains to be done but NDCs under the Paris Agreement represent one of the next key steps alongside the opening for signature of the Agreement in New York on April 22 en route to it’swiftly coming into force.”
The agreement includes measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions and also provide financial and technological support to developing countries in order to achieve their climate objective.
Enthusiasts of the Paris Agreement have suggested reviewing NDCs every five years which will allow for a strengthening of national action plans over time, that could deliver the 2C or even 1.5C goal.
As is such, the fully implemented NDCs would keep the world within a 3 degree rise in temperature – not a big difference from the 4 or 5 degrees, but – this may lessen the losses to life, livelihoods and investments.
The UNFCCC secretariat is preparing to launch a new and formal registry of NDCs in about one month.
Sources:
Papua New Guinea Sends in First Climate Plan under Paris Agreement
Papua New Guinea becomes first country to file official national climate action plan
