Capacity Determinants of Climate Action in Developing Countries

ABSTRACT Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 13—Climate Action—and the Paris Agreement (PA) goal, largely depends on the successful implementation of the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) set by countries party to the PA. This article examines the NDCs of 32 upper‐middle‐income (UMI) countries and identifies their capacity‐building factors under Article 11 of the PA. A grounded theory approach, followed by in vivo coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding, scrutinizes 110 determining factors related to 19 determinants and two categories theorizing the successful implementation of their NDCs. The findings suggest that the availability of climate finance and technology transfer from developed countries results from 76 internal and 34 external capacity‐building factors, determining a course of action for sustainable development in developing countries. Collaboration between developed and developing countries on technical, research, and policymaking aspects remains a leading factor for realizing NDCs. The upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP30) is potentially relevant for policymaking and action strategies for a global response to climate change.