The UNFCCC Secretariat has reported that Algeria and Colombia are the 58th and 59th Parties, respectively, to formally submit their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs).
Algeria's INDC includes a target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 7-22% below a business as usual (BAU) reference level by 2030.
In its INDC, Colombia puts forward a unilateral, unconditional GHG reduction target of 20% compared to BAU by 2030, as well as a conditional 30% reduction target.
7 September 2015: The UNFCCC Secretariat has reported that Algeria and Colombia are the 58th and 59th Parties, respectively, to formally submit their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs). Algeria’s INDC includes a target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 7-22% below a business as usual (BAU) reference level by 2030. In its INDC, Colombia puts forward a unilateral, unconditional GHG reduction target of 20% compared to BAU by 2030, as well as a conditional 30% reduction target.
Submitted on 3 September 2015, the Algerian INDC is conditional on access to external financial resources, technology transfer under concessional and preferential terms, and capacity building. However, the low end of the target range (7%) will be achieved through national means, according to the INDC. The contribution covers the energy, industrial, transport, agriculture and forests, building and environment sectors. Gases covered are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). The INDC describes mitigation and adaptation actions the country plans to take, as well as detailed information on national circumstances and the policy planning process in-country.
Colombia submitted its INDC on 7 September 2015. The INDC’s 30% target is conditioned on the provision of international support. It covers all economic sectors, as categorized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the six GHGs of the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Colombia does not rule out the possibility of using market mechanisms to meet its target, as long as they guarantee transparency and environmental integrity. The submission also lays out adaptation priorities and actions.
The two INDC submissions followed presentations of several countries’ experiences in formulating INDCs at the 10th part of the second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP 2-10) in Bonn, Germany. Held on 2 September 2015, the event highlighted how varying national circumstances shape countries’ INDCs. The Democratic Republic of the Congo presented its focus on fighting deforestation, the Marshall Islands on renewable energy, New Zealand on agriculture and Australia on direct action.
All Parties to the UNFCCC are expected to submit INDCs in advance of the Paris Climate Change Conference, which will take place in November-December 2015. Those submitted by 1 October 2015 will be included in a synthesis report on their aggregate effect by 1 November 2015. Parties are anticipated to agree on a global climate change agreement to take effect in 2020 at the Paris Climate Change Conference. [UNFCCC Press Release, Algeria] [Algeria’s INDC] [UNFCCC Press Release, Colombia] [Colombia’s INDC] [Colombia’s INDC – Unofficial Translation] [UNFCCC INDC Portal] [UNFCCC Press Release, 2 September 2015]