Vanuatu Government Submitted its Climate Action Plan to UNFCCC ahead of Paris Agreement
The Republic of Vanuatu submitted its new climate action plan to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) comes well in advance of a new universal climate change agreement which will be reached at the UN climate conference in Paris, in December this year.
In its INDC, Vanuatu indicates that its main intended mitigation contribution is to achieve the outcomes and targets under the country's National Energy Road Map (NERM) and Second National Communication (SNC) extended to 2030. Specifically it has a target of transitioning to close to 100% renewable energy in the electricity sector by 2030, which would reduce its business-as-usual (BAU) emissions in the energy sector as a whole by 30%. The INDC clarifies that this target is conditional on the receipt of financial and technical support.
Other intended mitigation measures include a programme of energy efficiency to reduce emissions in all sectors except agriculture and forestry by 15%. Agriculture and forestry sector emissions will be addressed using other mechanisms, such as cooperative programmes with other countries (agriculture) and REDD+ (forestry). The main greenhouse gas (GHG) covered is carbon dioxide (CO2) and the main sector is the electricity generation sub-sector.
This INDC and all others submitted by countries are available on the UNFCCC website here. Including Vanuatu, 96 parties to the UNFCCC have formally submitted their INDCs.
The Paris agreement will come into effect in 2020, empowering all countries to act to prevent average global temperatures rising above 2 degrees Celsius and to reap the many opportunities that arise from a necessary global transformation to clean and sustainable development.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres is encouraging countries to come forward with their INDCs as soon as they are able, underlining their commitment and support towards this successful outcome in Paris. Governments agreed to submit their INDCs in advance of Paris.
All information such as documentation on designing and preparing INDCs as well as on sources of support for INDC preparation, is available here.
Countries have agreed that there will be no back-tracking in these national climate plans, meaning that the level of ambition to reduce emissions will increase over time.
