Stronger NDCs with cities, states, and regions: Recommendations for national governments
Working paper by the World Resources Institute
The climate crisis calls for immediate action and it requires ambitious efforts across all government levels. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are used as important instruments under the Paris Agreement and set the course for global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The pathways however required to achieve net-zero emissions and limit global temperature rise are not met by current climate commitments.
The WRI working paper, “Stronger NDCs with Cities, States, and Regions: Recommendations for National Governments” provides vital guidance for enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by integrating robust subnational collaboration beside horizontal and vertical collaboration among cities, states, and regions.
This report offers eight practical recommendations for national governments to be able to develop a collective vision together with subnational governments to promote ownership and shared responsibility in the NDC process.
Subnational involvement in the NDC process
While national commitments are essential to driving climate action, a comprehensive global climate response necessitates a multi-level approach. Subnational governments – often overlooked in international negotiations – play a critical role, providing platforms for collaboration and integration among diverse local actors.
Key findings of the report:
- National governments are encouraged to review the status of multilevel partnerships, the present level of subnational content in their NDCs, and the potential contribution subnational governments can make toward achieving national climate mitigation and adaptation commitments in line with development goals.
- National governments can plan for strengthened collaboration with subnational governments through a collective vision and meaningful stakeholder engagement to foster a shared sense of ownership and responsibility for developing more ambitious NDCs.
- National governments can develop ambitious NDCs that incorporate strong subnational participation and content by integrating subnational data, trends, targets, risks, policies, and actions, creating greater incentive for joint implementation across all government levels.
The WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities is one of the Partners of the CHAMP Initiative.
