Sustainable Behavior in Climate Pledges: An Analysis of Top Emitters’ Strategies

This working paper by the World Resources Institute analyzes how the 20 highest-emitting countries incorporate behavior change strategies within their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), focusing on nine 'Priority Practices' across the food, mobility, and energy sectors.

• Of the nine identified Priority Practices, only three are consistently included in the NDCs of at least half of the 20 highest-emitting countries. These practices are concentrated in the energy and mobility sectors: promoting electric or hybrid vehicles, increasing public transport use to replace gasoline or diesel vehicles, and reducing household energy use through insulation or energy-efficient appliances.
• There is a misalignment between the emissions reduction potential of certain behavior changes and their inclusion in NDCs. Specifically, food-related behavior changes, such as supporting sustainable diets and reducing consumer food waste, offer some of the highest potential for GHG emissions reductions but are the least frequently considered in NDCs.
• Countries primarily rely on improving infrastructure and services to drive behavior change, while underutilizing incentives and personalized information. For instance, while many NDCs mention installing electric vehicle charging stations, fewer mention tax breaks for purchases. Only two of the analyzed nations employ a combination of all three behavior change tools—infrastructure, incentives, and personalized information—to promote electric or hybrid vehicle use.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Sustainable Behavior in Climate Pledges: An Analysis of Top Emitters’ Strategies. https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-behavior-climate-pledges-analysis-top-emitters-strategies

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Sustainable Behavior in Climate Pledges: An Analysis of Top Emitters’ Strategies. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-behavior-climate-pledges-analysis-top-emitters-strategies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Sustainable Behavior in Climate Pledges: An Analysis of Top Emitters’ Strategies |url=https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-behavior-climate-pledges-analysis-top-emitters-strategies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendsustainable, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Sustainable Behavior in Climate Pledges: An Analysis of Top Emitters’ Strategies}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-behavior-climate-pledges-analysis-top-emitters-strategies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }