India among nations yet to submit climate action plans: UN report ahead of COP30

As the countdown begins for the UN Climate Summit in Brazil, a National Determined Contribution (NDC) synthesis report by the UN highlighted that scores of countries had fallen short of implementing climate action plans.

According to the report, major emitters like India, Europe and China have not submitted their updated national plans on greenhouse gas emissions. Only 64 countries have submitted NDCs to the UN so far, setting out how they will curb carbon for the next decade, it added.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said through UN-convened climate cooperation and national efforts, humanity was now clearly bending the emissions curve downwards for the first time, although it was still not fast enough.

“Market logic dictates that this clean energy transition will continue at great scale and pace. But an equitable global transition – where every country benefits from clean energy and climate resilience – requires clear policies and plans, across every country and every sector, and more support for many nations, especially those that did least to cause this global crisis,” he said.

The report said that whole-of-economy, whole-of-society approaches evident in NDCs point to strong climate action as an increasingly core pillar of ensuring economic stability and growth, jobs, health, and energy security and affordability, among many other policy imperatives, in countries.

“However, it remains clear that major acceleration is still needed in terms of delivering faster and deeper emission reductions and ensuring that the vast benefits of strong climate action reach all countries and peoples,” the report said.

Of the 84 per cent of Parties that referenced capacity-building in their new NDCs, 66 per cent indicated that NDC implementation is contingent upon receiving capacity-building support. “Needs were identified across adaptation, mitigation and cross-cutting areas, including transparency, technology deployment and access to climate finance. A total of 25 per cent of Parties highlighted capacity needs related to addressing loss and damage and accessing related funds, which were not reflected in their previous NDCs,” the report said.