Strategic objectives underpin national climate pledges

Abstract Emissions-reduction pledges under the Paris Agreement are commonly understood as expressions of domestic preferences. Recent scholarship, however, suggests that governments may also use climate pledges strategically to shape the behavior of other political actors. Here, we provide an empirical account of these strategic objectives based on in-depth interviews with 40 policymakers and experts. We identify six key strategic objectives: attracting international climate finance, setting standards for others, enhancing status, preserving credibility, facilitating domestic action, and pre-committing future governments. International actors emerge as the primary target audience. These objectives have distinct implications for ambition. While most encourage stronger pledges, concerns about credibility can constrain ambition. In an exploratory analysis, we also examine how strategic objectives vary across countries. The findings suggest that higher emitters and states with lower levels of democratic institutionalization place greater emphasis on long-term credibility, while countries eligible for climate finance seek to attract it regardless of income or vulnerability. Our findings have implications for ratcheting up international climate commitments.