Tracking, evaluation and comparison of climate change mitigation policies and actions from a wide range of national, subnational, corporate and civil society stakeholders.
Action to combat climate change is diverse. National governments, as well as regions, cities, companies and individuals embark on the challenge to reduce emissions. We monitor those players’ actions and develop and apply methods to compare them between peers and to the objective of holding global warming below 2/1.5°C.
NewClimate Institute staff has years of experience in evaluating mitigation commitments and policies and identifying their impact on emissions. We connect to policy makers and researchers all over the world to identify best practice options and understand differences between geographical regions and stakeholders. Besides government policies, we also monitor activities of companies and other institutions.
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
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
How much more could Germany achieve through non-state action?
Quantifying the possible contribution of International Cooperative Initiatives to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany
The contribution of energy efficiency to reducing the cost of decarbonisation
How can energy efficiency policies lower the costs of decarbonisation?
Climate Policy Database
Assessment of good practices in the implementation of climate change policies. NewClimate Institute analyses which major emitting countries are implementing good practice policies or policies from a policy menu to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Top 30 emitting countries which cover 82% of global GHG emissions are analysed. The project first establishes a package of… Read More
Mitigation impacts of energy efficiency and renewable energy actions under the One Gigaton Coalition
Quantifying GHG emission reductions resulting from renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives and programmes in developing countries. NewClimate Institute, together with Yale University, has set up a comprehensive framework to quantify the impact of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) actions in developing countries that are attributable to the One Gigaton Coalition. The One… Read More
International Cooperative Initiatives (ICIs) outside the UNFCCC
Evaluation of the impact of global, regional and national initiatives outside UNFCCC on greenhouse gas emissions. The German Environmental Agency (UBA) commissioned a consortium of NewClimate Institute, Öko-Institut and Fraunhofer ISI to analyse the impact of international, regional and national initiatives outside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on greenhouse gas emissions.… Read More
Climate Transparency
Climate Transparency is an open global consortium with a shared mission to stimulate a ‘race to the top’ in climate action through enhanced transparency. For this purpose, comprehensive, comparable and credible information about government climate action is spread by bringing together the most important actors in assessing and communicating climate action for the benefit of key influencers and decision makers.
Further reading
Short term policies to keep the door open for Paris climate goals Jul 2018 - This article shows how a strengthening of existing plans by a global roll-out of successful, regional sector policies can ease the implementation challenge of reaching the Paris climate goals.
Reducing global GHG emissions by replicating successful sector examples: the ‘good practice policies’ scenario Jun 2018 - This article shows the potential impact on global GHG emissions in 2030, if all countries were to implement sectoral climate policies similar to successful examples already implemented elsewhere.
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”.
Update: GHG mitigation scenarios for major emitting countries – an overview of recently adopted policies Apr 2018 - NewClimate Institute, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and IIASA present an overview of on climate and energy policies in 25 major emitting countries and regions that have been adopted since July 2017. The policy information compiled by in this document supplements the earlier 2017 update report on the projected greenhouse gas emissions under currently implemented policies and mitigation commitments in 25 countries and regions. Not only the qualitative descriptions of policies but also their possible implications on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions projections in 2030 are provided whenever available. Ten key short-term sectoral benchmarks to limit warming to 1.5°C Dec 2017 - This article identifies and quantifies the 10 most important benchmarks for climate action to be taken by 2020 – 2025 to keep the window open for a 1.5°C-consistent GHG emission pathway.
The Climate Change Performance Index 2018 Nov 2017 - Developed by NewClimate Institute and Germanwatch, the index ties in with the global Climate Change Performance Index by Germanwatch, a rating of the 58 largest emitters of GHG emissions globally that has been published annually since 2006. 
Implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions: Viet Nam Country Report Nov 2017 - The study analyses the country background, emissions trends, ongoing activities and barriers relating to the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Viet Nam under the UNFCCC. A special emphasis is laid on further mitigation potentials. Fields of mitigation assessed are efficiency, the setting of right incentives for the upscaled deployment of renewables and emissions reductions in the transport sector. The planned increase in coal use – contrary to mitigation ambition in other fields – is assessed in relevance and perspective.
Implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions: Indonesia Country Report Nov 2017 - The study analyses the country background, emissions trends, ongoing activities and barriers relating to the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Indonesia under the UNFCCC. A special emphasis is laid on further mitigation potentials. Fields of mitigation assessed are land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) governance and monitoring as well as electricity demand and generation. A chapter is dedicated to the ongoing and planned increase in coal use – contrary to mitigation ambition in other fields – including an analysis of the economic role and local impacts of coal.
Countries start to explain how their climate contributions are fair: more rigour needed Nov 2017 - In the lead-up to the Paris Agreement, every country was invited to submit an intended nationally determined contribution (INDC), and indicate how it is fair. We analyse how countries have explained the equity of mitigation and adaptation in 163 INDCs, providing a bottom-up analysis of equity to complement a literature that has focused on top-down allocations.
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.