Nationally Determined Contribution

Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are climate action plans that are at the heart of the Paris Agreement implementation, as provided in Article 4. Each party to the Paris Agreement is required to establish an NDC and update it every five years as a sign of commitment and ambition to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Parties are encouraged to take into account “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances.” This provision is especially important for developing countries because it acknowledges the oversized historical and on-going contribution of developed countries to the climate crisis and therefore their added responsibilities to address it.