Features of the New Round of Nationally Determined Contributions and Their Implications for Global Climate Governance

The year 2025 marks a critical juncture for all Parties to submit their new round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, signaling the start of a new round of collective efforts toward global climate governance. The new round of NDCs have several new features: Most Parties submitted them after the deadline specified in the Paris Agreement; all submitted NDCs applied the information guidance; the majority covered all emission sectors and greenhouse gas (GHG) categories as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and, moreover, over 95% of the Parties that submitted their NDCs responded to the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement. The continuous communication of NDCs is a key part of the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. The ambition and implementation of NDCs not only reflect the willingness and capacity of each country to fulfill its climate commitments, but also influence the overall pathway choices for global mitigation and adaptation. As an important participant in global climate governance, China should help to strengthen the bottom-up nature of NDCs, formulate NDCs that are realistic, feasible and meaningful, and guide the international community to uphold the principle that “successful governance relies on solid action” and shift its focus from target-setting to implementation. China should establish a working mechanism for formulating and implementing its NDCs to promote high-quality compliance, and at the same time, strengthen international exchanges on NDCs formulation and implementation, and tell China’s story well to the international community.