CCAG calls for universal commitment to ‘High Ambition NDCs’, ahead of 2025 submission

As the window draws to a close for countries to submit new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) has released guiding principles for scientifically rigorous, High Ambition NDCs.

Current NDCs have not met the level of ambition of the 2015 Paris Agreement, leaving the world on track for 2.9°C of warming - far above the safer 1.5°C limit. And even these targets are not on track to be met, with current policies set to deliver over 3°C of warming by 2100.

This level of planetary warming poses a severe threat to all aspects of life on earth. As countries prepare to update their NDCs ahead of February 2025, CCAG has set out the minimum criteria that each must meet to pave a safer future for humanity.

CCAG’s guiding principles fall into four pillars, each of which must be addressed within national submissions:
 

1. Equitable Delivery: Ensuring climate action benefits all communities

• High Ambition NDCs must embrace equity at every level – protecting the most vulnerable while ensuring the benefits of the transition are widely shared. This requires international cooperation and knowledge sharing, with countries setting up clear pathways for international support.
• Comprehensive plans for workforce development will be vital as the transition to cleaner energy continues to unfold, such as retraining programmes for fossil fuel workers, and strengthened healthcare and education systems.
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2. Effective Implementation: Turning commitments into real-world change‍

• While recent years have seen a surge in pledges, the gap between promises and implementation remains dangerously wide. High Ambition NDCs must include clear, detailed plans for turning words into action.
• As climate impacts intensify, NDCs must outline concrete steps to protect communities and strengthen their ability to cope with change, such as investment for adaptation measures and clear strategies to address loss and damage.
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3. Climate Finance: Mobilising resources for a just transition away from fossil fuels‍

• The provision and mobilisation of climate finance must be a central commitment within High Ambition NDCs, ensuring resources flow where they are needed.
• NDCs must contain clear frameworks to redirect private finance towards climate solutions. Governments must clearly define roles for public entities in mobilising private capital, and create strong partnerships between public and private sectors to unlock the trillions needed for this transformation.
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4. Practical Solutions: Implementing proven strategies to secure a safer future‍

• The tools and technologies for tackling climate change already exist. CCAG recommends that High Ambition NDCs must prioritise these immediate opportunities for action, while supporting continued innovation and scaling of solutions across all sectors.
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Dr Fatima Denton, CCAG member and Director of UNU-INRA, said:

 “High Ambition NDCs are essential not only to confront the climate crisis but to establish a fair and equitable future for all. They must include mechanisms that ensure finance flows to the Global South, where the impacts of climate change are felt most acutely, yet resources are often limited. As we work towards 2025, countries must make these ambitions a reality, committing to clear frameworks that prioritise both equity and practical, on-the-ground support. This is our chance to build resilience in a way that uplifts vulnerable communities and ensures a truly just transition.”‍‍
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‍Chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, Sir David King, commented:

 “Accelerating the pace of the global climate response is a political choice, one we must make now. We have the solutions at our fingertips, yet progress is continually obstructed by the fossil fuel industry. The upcoming NDCs will define the course for the next five years; the last five have fallen far short of what’s needed. It’s time for bold, high-ambition commitments and intensified action to drive the change our world urgently requires.”‍

‍For more information, read CCAG's report, Guiding Principles for High Ambition NDCs.

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