28 September 2015: The UNFCCC Secretariat has reported that Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar and The Gambia have formally submitted their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), bringing the total number of Parties to have done so to 88.

The Central African Republic has submitted a contribution of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5% from business as usual (BAU) levels in 2030 and 25% in 2050. To achieve its target, the INDC includes unconditional and conditional measures, the latter depending on international support. Sectors covered by the INDC are land-use change and forestry, energy, agriculture, waste, and industrial processes and solvent use. The gases included are: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). The INDC also presents various options related to helping the country adapt to climate change.

In its INDC, Brazil puts forward an intended mitigation objective of reducing economy-wide GHG emissions by 37% below 2005 levels in 2025, and an indicative contribution of 43% below 2005 levels in 2030. The INDC covers CO2, CH4, N2O, perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The country reserves its position with regard to the use of market mechanisms that may be established under the anticipated 2015 climate change agreement. Brazil states that its contribution is not contingent on international support, but that additional actions would require extensive expansion of such support. Among the goals Brazil is already planning is a 10% efficiency gain in the electricity sector by 2030. The country also includes information on adaptation undertakings.

The submission from Mauritius includes a target, dependent on international technical and financial support, of reducing emissions by 30% below its 2030 BAU reference scenario. The country outlines activities it will promote and implement toward this end, including: the efficient use of energy through the deployment of appropriate technologies in all sectors of the economy; awareness raising on energy conservation; and the use of sustainable transportation, including through promotion of energy efficient mass transportation systems based on hybrid technologies and cleaner energy sources. The INDC covers the energy, transportation, industry, agriculture, forestry, land use and solid waste management sectors. It covers CO2 and short-lived climate forcers (SLCF). Priority adaptation actions are also laid out in the submission.

The contribution submitted by Myanmar communicates the mitigation actions the country intends to undertake in the forestry and energy (including efficiency and renewable energy) sectors. According to the INDC, the implementation of these actions is contingent upon support for capacity building, technology development and transfer, and financial resources from the international community, as well as the active participation of the national and international private sector. The INDC also details Myanmar’s priorities for adaptation, as well as current and planned efforts in this area.

Cameroon’s INDC sets a conditional target of reducing GHG emissions by 32% by 2035 relative to the reference year, 2010. The target is dependent on the support of the international community, in the form of financing, capacity-building activities and technology transfer. Sectoral goals have also been set by the country, such as: the greening of agricultural policy; sustainable forest management (SFM); increased energy supply and improved energy efficiency; and 25% renewable energy in the electricity mix in 2035. The INDC also relates the country’s national plan for adaptation.

The Gambian INDC is activity- and sector-based. Each mitigation activity identified is listed as either unconditional (afforestation and installation of solar photovoltaic, wind power and hydro-electric power plants) or conditional (all others). The conditional activities are identified as needing financial support, technical support or both. The Gambia has created targets in terms of absolute reductions in emissions from each activity. According to the INDC, these absolute reductions translate to a total reduction of approximately 44.4% in 2025 and 45.4% in 2030 compared to the baseline Low Emissions Scenario, when land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) is excluded. The targeted sectors are agriculture, energy, industrial processes and product use (IPPU), transport, and waste management. The covered gases are CO2, CH4, N2O, nitrogen oxides (NOx), PFCs, HFCs, SF6 and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).

Maldives commits to reduce unconditionally 10% of its GHGs (below BAU) for the year 2030 in its INDC. It adds that this number could be increased to 24%, if enabled by availability of financial resources, technology transfer and capacity building. CO2 and CH4 are the primary gases of concern, according to the INDC, and the key sectors are energy (electricity generation, energy efficiency for both domestic consumption and processes and product use), transportation and waste. The adaptation activities related in the document focus on a wide variety of sectors, from fisheries and tourism to public health and food security.

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, Central African Republic] [Central African Republic’s INDC] [UNFCCC Press Release, Brazil] [Brazil’s INDC] [UNFCCC Press Release, Mauritius] [Mauritius’s INDC] [UNFCCC Press Release, Myanmar] [Myanmar’s INDC] [UNFCCC Press Release, Cameroon] [Cameroon’s INDC] [UNFCCC Press Release, The Gambia] [The Gambia’ INDC] [UNFCCC Press Release, Maldives] [Maldives’ INDC] [UNFCCC INDC Portal]