Marshall Islands, Suriname, Norway update NDCs before informal 9 Feb Deadline
Only three of the 197 Paris Agreement signatories have submitted updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in time for the informal 9th February deadline. The Marshall Islands accounts for just 0.00001% of global emissions, and so focus on making Pacific Islands more resilient to climate change-induced storms and sea level rise rather than on mitigation. The small South American country, Suriname, has pledged to increase forest and wetland protected area from 14% to 17% of the country’s area by 2030. Norway was the latest country to submit; they pledge to cut emissions by 50-55% below 1990 levels by 2030, compared to the 40% target set by the EU.
The slow action on submitting NDCs could indicate a lack of enthusiasm and action. However, the delay was not unexpected, and it provides a longer window for science and activism to influence national policies before COP26 in November.
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