Report calls for strengthening credibility in climate action

G20 member countries, including India, should strengthen the credibility of their climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to build "confidence" in the Paris agreement on climate change, a new report said today.
The report, published by Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment and ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy at London School of Economics and Political Science, said there is "significant scope" for many G20 countries including India to improve credibility.
"Governments have the opportunity to actively improve the credibility of their current and future commitments in their NDCs (nationally determined contributions), especially by strengthening their policies and legislation...

"...Transparency, effectiveness and inclusiveness of their decision-making process and their climate change public bodies," report by Alina Averchenkova and Samuela Bassi said.
The report provides results of an analysis of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted by more than 180 countries before Paris climate change summit focusing on credibility, rather than ambition of pledges about future emissions.
"This can be done, by adopting framework legislation or implementing carbon pricing mechanisms, assigning clear responsibility for climate change policy and establishing independent consultative bodies...

It noted that almost all emission reductions pledged by
G20 countries appear to be "underpinned" by policy and legislation that is at least "moderately supportive" in terms of credibility.

"However, G20 countries' emissions targets were found to score lower on the transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness of their decision-making processes and the level of political constraints to limit policy reversal, and on the existence of dedicated and independent public bodies on climate change," the report said.
The report said that no INDC from a G20 country is found to have 'no credible basis' across all the determinants explored in the analysis.
However, there are significant differences in the level of and balance among determinants of credibility.
"For many G20 members, most determinants appear to be largely supportive in terms of credibility. These include the European Union and its individual G20 members (France, Germany, Italy and the UK) as well as South Korea.

"Several G20 members have determinants that are at least moderately supportive in terms of credibility, but display a significant weakness in one determinant which includes Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, South Africa and the United States.
"A number of G20 countries have scope for significantly increasing credibility across most determinants. These are Argentina, Canada, China, India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia," it said.