4 December 2015: The Kingdom of Tonga submitted its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC), on 4 December 2015, to the UNFCCC. Including Tonga, 186 Parties to the UNFCCC have formally submitted their INDCs.

In its INDC, Tonga stresses that the impacts of climate change on the Kingdom, mainly in the form of loss and damage from increasing extreme weather events and coastal erosion, limit what it can commit to with regard to mitigation. The INDC commits Tonga to raising electricity generation from renewable sources from approximate 9% in 2015 to 50% by 2020, and to 70% by 2030. It also commits Tonga to improving energy efficiency by reducing electricity line losses to 9% by 2020. The INDC says Tonga will set sector emission reduction targets for transport, agriculture, waste management and reforestation, and pledges to double the number of marine protected areas by 2030.

The INDC observes that Tonga’s new 2015-2025 development plan calls for “a more inclusive, sustainable and effective land administration, environment management, and resilience to climate and risk” with the goal of creating a “Resilient Tonga.” It also notes that a new National Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction will be finalized by mid-2016. [UNFCCC Press Release] [Tonga INDC]