NDC Update Report: The Long and Steep Climb Towards a 1.5°C World

The report identifies a discrepancy between the optimism of national-level experts and the reservations of sector-level experts regarding NDC implementation. While national experts express confidence in policy alignment, sector experts highlight significant challenges in funding, skills, and the alignment of development plans. The findings reveal that only 38% of respondents' governments have quantified resource needs and 90% believe governments must improve their ability to attract private capital. To address these gaps, the report proposes a new diagnostic framework to assess a sector's 'fitness' for decarbonisation and advocates for an 'enhanced benefits approach' that links climate mitigation to broader development goals like energy security and economic growth.

• There is a notable gap in confidence regarding NDC implementation between national experts and sector experts. National experts are generally optimistic, whereas sector experts are more critical, particularly concerning the alignment of policies and strategies, which a majority of sector experts view as a "major challenge to implement NDC/ raise ambition".
• Sector-level experts report greater difficulties than national-level experts in accessing finance (63% vs 48%) and express low confidence in government capabilities, with only 38% agreeing that the government possesses the necessary skills to implement effective NDC policies.
• Financial planning and support for NDCs are insufficient; only 38% of respondents state their government has quantified resource needs, and 90% indicate that governments need to be more effective at attracting private capital. Furthermore, only 17% of respondents believe international funds are effectively tailored to country needs, and 67% find technical support inadequate.
• The report argues for a new diagnostic tool to assess the 'fitness' of countries or sectors to achieve targets, as current assessments rely too heavily on self-reported data and targets without analyzing the likelihood of achievement.
• To build political will for sector transitions, the report suggests an 'enhanced benefits approach' that emphasizes synergies between low-carbon pathways and development objectives, such as increased energy security, employment, and economic growth.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2017). NDC Update Report: The Long and Steep Climb Towards a 1.5°C World. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-the-long-and-steep-climb-towards-a-15-degc-world-nov-2017

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. NDC Update Report: The Long and Steep Climb Towards a 1.5°C World. 2017. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-the-long-and-steep-climb-towards-a-15-degc-world-nov-2017.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=NDC Update Report: The Long and Steep Climb Towards a 1.5°C World |date=13 November 2017 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-the-long-and-steep-climb-towards-a-15-degc-world-nov-2017 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2017ndc, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{NDC Update Report: The Long and Steep Climb Towards a 1.5°C World}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-the-long-and-steep-climb-towards-a-15-degc-world-nov-2017}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }