Out of the 156 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to date, 135 countries mention renewables. However, most of these are underutilizing the potential of renewables to raise their ambition according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). A joint event with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on the sidelines of UNFCCC COP 25 emphasized that the energy transition is achievable if renewable energy becomes an integral part of countries’ climate pledges.

The discussion on 11 December 2019 explored opportunities to strengthen renewable targets in the post-2020 NDCs to achieve multiple benefits, including decarbonizing energy use, and simultaneously achieve multiple SDGs. IRENA has reported that eliminating fossil fuel subsidies could generate the bulk of USD 1.7 trillion required annually until 2030, and accelerate renewables’ deployment to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The event also launched an IRENA report titled, ‘NDCs in 2020: Advancing Renewables in the Power Sector and Beyond,’ which estimates that renewable deployment would have to accelerate six-fold by 2030 if the world is to achieve the goal of cutting global carbon emissions by 45% and keep temperatures below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

The report also finds that:

• More extensive renewable power deployment, amounting to 7.7 TW (or 3.3 times current global capacity), could be achieved cost-effectively and would bring considerable socio-economic benefits.
• Existing NDC power targets “overlook 59% of the potential for renewable electricity deployment in line with the Paris Agreement by 2030,” and even fall increasingly short of national strategies and plans. Aligning the next round of NDCs closely to existing national plans could increase global renewable power capacity to 5.2 TW (or 2.2 times current global capacity) by 2030.
• To date, only 85 countries included unconditional renewable power pledges in their current NDCs, compared to 135 with non-NDC domestic renewable power targets (either national or sub-national).
• NDCs thus far do not reflect the actual growth of renewable power, with global capacity growing by 8.6% per year since 2015.
• Implementing current NDCs would only translate into annual capacity growth of 4% for 2015–2030, even though annual renewable power growth already averaged 5.9% in 2010–2014. With current deployment trends, the 3.2 TW foreseen in current NDC power targets for 2030 could be reached by 2022.

The report emphasizes that power sector decarbonization alone will not suffice to meet Paris Agreement objectives. The authors call for a profound transformation through the adoption of renewables and energy efficiency measures, as well as increased electrification of end uses.

The two agencies also showcased support available to countries, including: the IRENA-UNDP global campaign #ItsPossible, which engages policymakers and investors to join a push for renewables; and Climate Promise, a UNDP-led initiative to support 100 countries to accelerate the enhancement of national climate pledges by 2020, with IRENA providing technical support to accelerate countries’ energy transitions. [IRENA Press Release] [Publication: NDCs in 2020: Advancing Renewables in the Power Sector and Beyond]