Research, analysis and innovative thought on options discussed at the international climate negotiations, including detailed modalities of the ambition-raising mechanism under the 2015 Paris Agreement towards the 2/1.5 °C limit.
If the emissions gap is to be closed and the global warming kept below 2/1.5 °C, as the 2015 Paris Agreement aims, raising the ambition on action against climate change is urgent. The next 10 years will show if a transition towards a sustainable, greenhouse gas-free society can be made.The Paris Agreement puts into place some essential elements to ratchet up national ambition towards the 2/1.5 °C limit and net zero emissions in the second half of this century. However, there is much further work to be done on the exact modalities to effectively raise mitigation ambition. We support the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement through research and analysis, in particular modalities of review and the global stocktake, the nature and level of commitment in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and the possible shape of a long term goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions at national level.
Associated projects
Climate Action Tracker
Climate Action Tracker provides regularly updated information on countries’ emission reduction policies. It reflects the latest status of the progress being made at international climate negotiations on mitigation commitments. Latest news from the CAT The Climate Action Tracker is a science-based assessment that provides regularly updated information on countries’ emission reduction proposals and policies. It… Read More
Mitigation responsibilities under a 2015 international climate agreement
Analysis of options for mitigation commitments post-2020 under the new international climate agreement to be finalised in 2015. Return to all expertise and projects A new international climate agreement is to be finalised in 2015. It is to enter into force in 2020 and to include – besides other aspects such as finance and adaptation-… Read More
ACT 2015
Consortium of the world’s top climate experts to catalyze discussion and build momentum toward reaching a global climate agreement at the forthcoming UNFCCC summit in 2015. Return to all expertise and projects The Agreement on Climate Transformation 2015 (ACT 2015) consortium is a group of the world’s top climate experts from developing and developed countries… Read More
Accounting under a 2015 agreement
Analysis of options for accounting in a new international climate change regime under a 2015 agreement. Return to all expertise and projects Parties have agreed to negotiate a new international climate agreement until 2015. This new agreement will diverge from the first international climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, in two very important ways: first it… Read More
Modelling climate policies of major emitters
Technical background report on analysis of current and potential climate policies for enhancing mitigation ambition in the major emitting countries. Return to all expertise and projects This project identifies important climate policies of the major emitters and estimates their impact on emissions. The analysis, conducted together with PBL, IIASA and Ecofys for the European Commission,… Read More
UNEP emissions gap reports
Since 2010, UNEP synthesises information on the gap between current trend in greenhouse gas emissions and where they would have to be in order to stabilize global temperature increase at 2°C. Return to all expertise and projects Since 2010, UNEP synthesises information on the gap between current trend in greenhouse gas emissions and where they… Read More
Experiences and lessons learned in the preparation of INDCs
Tracking the progression of INDC preparation progress worldwide, and sharing knowledge for best practices in INDC preparation.
Co-benefits of climate change contributions
Assessing the achieved and missed co-benefits of countries’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
Developing benchmarks for Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
Development of benchmarks for potential Intended Nationally Determined Contributions in over 40 countries
Supporting the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) process in Uganda
Technical assistance to the Government of Uganda for the preparation of the mitigation component of the INDC.
Intended Nationally Determined Contribution for Vietnam
Support for the preparation of the INDC for the waste and agriculture sectors
Lessons and impacts from the INDC process
Experiences from INDC preparation, and impacts and implications of the process for national climate policy making and the international climate negotiation process
EU Climate diplomacy
Analysis of the EU’s climate diplomacy effectiveness for developing recommendations on the EU’s strategy for the negotiations and the implementation of the Paris agreement. Return to all expertise and projects In a consortium with E3G, Acclimatise and Perspectives, under the leadership of ICF International, NewClimate Institute supports a study on the EU’s climate diplomacy activities.… Read More
Further reading
Coordinating finance for sustainable refrigeration and air conditioning Sep 2018 - This paper provides an overview of the current situation and options for financing sustainable refrigeration and air conditioning. 
Global climate action from cities, regions and businesses Aug 2018 - This report is the most comprehensive assessment of these non-state actor commitments to reduce greenhouse gases to date. Key results show that action by cities, states, regions and business can go a long way towards meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, but their actions alone are not enough to hold global temperature increase to well-below 2°C and work towards limiting it to 1.5° C.
Setting the Paris Agreement in Motion: Key Requirements for the Implementing Guidelines Aug 2018 - With the December 2018 deadline to operationalize the Paris Agreement looming, climate negotiators are faced with the herculean task of pulling together volumes of draft notes and the disparate views of negotiating blocs into comprehensive implementing guidelines to be adopted later this year. A new paper from the Project for Advancing Climate Transparency provides both an overarching vision and practical suggestions for what should be included in the main pillars of the implementing guidelines of the Paris Agreement. 
National climate change mitigation legislation, strategy and targets: a global update Aug 2018 - This paper analyses trends in adoption of national climate legislation and strategies, GHG targets, and renewable and energy efficiency targets in almost all UNFCCC Parties, focusing on the period from 2007 to 2017.
Opportunities and safeguards for ambition raising through Article 6 May 2018 - In this paper, we discuss the ambition raising implications to engage in voluntary cooperation under Article 6 for the originating Parties. The paper shows why Article 6 should focus on driving mitigation in otherwise inaccessible abatement options and why it is critical that support should only last for a limited time period, after which own action must kick-in.
The EU can increase its climate targets to be in line with a global 1.5°C target May 2018 - This project analyses best practice policies across Europe and how far extending them to all EU member states could support EU Greenhouse Gases (GHG) and energy targets. It finds that the EU can go much further than its current commitments in terms of GHG reductions: it has the potential to reach -55% to -62% below 1990 by 2030, consistent with the Paris commitment of staying “well below 2°C, pursuing 1.5°C”.
Deutschland droht das Pariser Klimaschutzabkommen zu unterminieren Jan 2018 - Mit der Abkehr der potentiellen neuen großen Koalition vom Klimaziel für 2020 gibt Deutschland nun offiziell die Rolle als internationaler Klimaschutzvorreiter auf. Mit Ausnahme der Förderung der Erneuerbaren Energien im Stromsektor und einigen Energieeffizienzmaßnahmen im Gebäudesektor ist in allen Sektoren versäumt worden, wirksame Klimaschutzmaßnahmen umzusetzen, so dass deutsche Treibhausgasemissionen in diesem Jahrzehnt nicht weiter sinken… Read More
The Emissions Gap Report 2017: A UN Environment Synthesis Report Nov 2017 - The goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change, as agreed at the Conference of the Parties in 2015, is to keep global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It also calls for efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The UN Environment Emissions Gap Report 2017 presents an assessment of current national mitigation efforts and the ambitions countries have presented in their Nationally Determined Contributions, which form the foundation of the Paris Agreement.
A turnaround of global greenhouse gas emission trends on the horizon – regardless of Pres. Trump Feb 2017 - Recent developments, particularly in India and China, give hope that the rise of global coal use has permanently stopped, and growth in global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions can reverse much earlier than thought only two years ago. 
The Emissions Gap Report 2016: A UNEP Synthesis Report Nov 2016 - The objective of this seventh UNEP Emissions Gap Report is to provide an up-to-date scientific assessment of the global progress towards the emissions reductions required to be on track to meet the long-term goal of the UNFCCC.