The article highlights the challenges and limitations of the latest climate negotiations, specifically with regards to the submission of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by countries for the 2025 review under the Paris Agreement.

To strengthen the NDC process and achieve moreambitious targets, several suggestions are made:

1. Developed countries should lead the way: They have historically contributed more greenhouse gas emissions than developing countries and therefore need to set more ambitious targets.
2. Global emission gap: The current scenario of peak global emissions will overshoot 1.5°C unless developed countries' NDCs are significantly increased.
3. Sectoral energy transition targets: Wealthy countries must include plans for full power sector decarbonisation by 2035 and explicit target setting to phase out all fossil fuels by mid-century.

To achieve these suggestions:

Policy Recommendations

1. Ratchet up ambition in NDCs: Developed countries should set more aggressive targets, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60-80% below the 1990 level.
2. Sectoral emission reduction targets: Countries must provide sector-specific targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including a commitment to phase out coal and oil and gas licensing by mid-century.
3. Inclusive NDC implementation: Countries should ensure that their NDCs are consistent with the Paris Agreement's guiding principles of equity and fairness.

International cooperation

1. Global coordination on emission reduction targets: An international framework could facilitate the sharing of best practices, expertise, and resources among countries to achieve more ambitious emission reduction targets.
2. Technology transfer and finance support: Developing countries must receive financial, technological, and capacity-building assistance to support their low-carbon development goals.

Key players

1. Governments should commit to climate action: Countries, particularly developed ones, need to demonstrate a commitment to achieving more ambitious climate targets while supporting developing countries.
2. Climate think tanks and civil society can advocate: Independent climate change think tanks like E3G, the World Resources Institute Brasil, We Mean Business Coalition, and others must continue to advocate for ambitious climate targets and push governments to increase their ambition.
3. International organizations, such as UNEP, can facilitate global cooperation and share best practices.

These policy suggestions aim to emphasize the importance of more ambitious international commitments on emissions reduction in order to limit global warming below 2°C, meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.