State of the Nationally Determined Contributions: Enhancing Adaptation Ambition

The paper analyzes the evolution of adaptation components in the NDCs of 86 countries, finding that while updated submissions show increased country ownership, better alignment with national adaptation plans, and more detailed sectoral actions, most prioritized actions remain neither investment nor implementation ready.

• Updated NDCs from the 2020-2021 cycle demonstrate increased country ownership and political buy-in, characterized by more extensive consultations across government agencies and stakeholder groups, and approval via high-level national political bodies.
• There is improved alignment between updated NDCs and other policy frameworks, specifically with National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, as well as other sectoral, subnational, and international processes.
• Updated NDCs utilize more current climate modeling and vulnerability data, leading to a more frequent identification of specific population groups that are more vulnerable to climate impacts.
• While the number of prioritized adaptation actions has increased across all critical systems—with food and nutrition security, water, and nature-based solutions being the most prominent—most of these actions lack the necessary indicators, costs, and time frames to be considered investment or implementation ready.
• Progress has been made in integrating gender equality, local knowledge, and indigenous concerns, although direct consultation with indigenous and local groups during NDC development still needs improvement.
• References to Loss and Damage have not increased in updated NDCs, though there are more mentions of risk management and early warning systems; however, issues such as migration, displacement, and slow-onset events remain under-addressed.
• Transformative adaptation is generally poorly understood and rarely referenced in NDCs, with little increase in mentions of innovation or shifting locations due to climate impacts.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). State of the Nationally Determined Contributions: Enhancing Adaptation Ambition. https://www.wri.org/research/nationally-determined-contributions-enhancing-adaptation-ambition

Chicago

World Resources Institute. State of the Nationally Determined Contributions: Enhancing Adaptation Ambition. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/nationally-determined-contributions-enhancing-adaptation-ambition.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=State of the Nationally Determined Contributions: Enhancing Adaptation Ambition |url=https://www.wri.org/research/nationally-determined-contributions-enhancing-adaptation-ambition |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendstate, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{State of the Nationally Determined Contributions: Enhancing Adaptation Ambition}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/nationally-determined-contributions-enhancing-adaptation-ambition}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }