NDC Update Report 2021: Time to Pull the Brake

The 2021 NDC Update Report finds that while 95% of surveyed countries have strengthened greenhouse gas emissions targets, overall progress remains too slow and pledges insufficient. The report highlights a significant gap in long-term strategies (LTSs), with only 17% of Parties having communicated one to the UNFCCC as of October 2021. It emphasizes the critical role of subnational governments, noting that 80% of respondents view them as important for NDC implementation and 75% report their actual involvement in planning. The document warns against using 'green recovery' narratives as a 'smokescreen' for inaction and calls for a just transition to manage trade-offs between climate action and sustainable development goals.

• While there is optimism regarding NDC planning, collective ambition is still insufficient; 95% of survey respondents indicated their country has added or strengthened greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets.
• Progress in developing long-term strategies (LTSs) is substantially delayed, with only 33 countries (17% of Parties) having communicated an LTS to the UNFCCC as of October 2021.
• Subnational governments are increasingly recognized as vital for NDC implementation, with 80% of respondents seeing them as important and 75% reporting their involvement in NDC planning.
• Financial barriers continue to be a primary obstacle to increasing climate ambition, and there is a noted lack of sufficient buy-in from the private sector.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2021). NDC Update Report 2021: Time to Pull the Brake. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-2021-time-to-pull-the-brake

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. NDC Update Report 2021: Time to Pull the Brake. 2021. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-2021-time-to-pull-the-brake.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=NDC Update Report 2021: Time to Pull the Brake |date=3 November 2021 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-2021-time-to-pull-the-brake |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2021ndc, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{NDC Update Report 2021: Time to Pull the Brake}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-2021-time-to-pull-the-brake}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }