Countries need to be increasingly ambitious in their pledges to scale up renewables and cut energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The first round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) pledged under the Paris Agreement have proven inadequate to meet climate goals.

The new NDC round starting in 2020 represents an important chance to strengthen targets for renewables. This brief from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), released at the global climate meeting COP25 in late 2019, underlines the opportunity to address the climate threat, decarbonise energy use and simultaneously achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Report by Irena