Skip navigation
SEI working paper

Untapped ambition: addressing fossil fuel production through NDCs and LEDS

Nationally determined contributions could help in the wind-down of oil, gas and coal production. But countries are only making limited use of this potential.

Cleo Verkuijl, Michael Lazarus / Published on 24 June 2019
Download  Read the working paper / PDF / 784 KB
Citation

Verkuijl, C., Jones, N. and Lazarus, M. (2019). Untapped ambition: addressing fossil fuel production through NDCs and LEDS. SEI Working Paper. Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm.

Sunset Oil Field, Kern County, California. Photo: Gary Kavanagh / Getty Images.

Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement will require a rapid decline in global fossil fuel production and related investment. As the key international documents for countries to communicate and enhance their ambition on climate action, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LEDS) have significant potential to be used by countries to communicate plans to phase out or restrict fossil fuel production.

This paper examines 57 NDCs and 8 LEDS to assess whether and how they integrate supply-side approaches. It finds that countries are only making limited use of the potential of NDCs and LEDS to align fossil fuel production with Paris goals. Indeed, various plans foresee continued or scaled up fossil fuel extraction in the future. In doing so, they include insufficient reflection on the climate and equity implications of continued fossil fuel production – omissions that can be addressed as countries submit their LEDS and new or updated NDCs in the 2019-2020 period.

Download

Read the working paper / PDF / 784 KB

SEI authors

Cleo Verkuijl
Cleo Verkuijl

Scientist

SEI US

Michael Lazarus
Michael Lazarus

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Topics and subtopics
Climate : Fossil fuels, Climate policy
Related centres
SEI Oxford , SEI US

Design and development by Soapbox.