NDC COMPLIANCE
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Context: India’s updated climate pledge to the Paris Agreement has been ranked fifth in compliance and fourth in ambition by a new study.
Details:
- European Union (EU) took the lead while the United States was ranked last in compliance and second to last in ambition.
- The study was published in the scientific journalNature Climate Change. It included eight countries — India, the US, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Australia and Brazil — and the European Union.
- The Paris Agreement is a global treaty wherein some 200 countries agreed to cooperate to reduce GHG emissions and rein in climate change. The agreement seeks to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industry levels.
- Nations likely to meet their climate pledges or the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) were ranked high in compliance. Those with bold commitments were ranked high in ambition.
- Nearly all signatories to the Paris Agreement updated their climate commitments during the 26th session of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 26), held in Glasgow in 2021.
- However, the NDCs are not legally binding. The researchers, therefore, wondered if the Paris Agreement is credible.
- In the compliance category, the EU was followed by China, Australia, South Africa, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and the US, the findings showed.
- As for ambition, the EU was followed by China, South Africa, India, Australia, Brazil, Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia, it added.
- Further, the researchers spotted a trend from their statistical analysis: Nations with more stable governments are more likely to have bold and highly credible pledges.