The ‘bottom-up pledge and review’ approach of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in the Paris Agreement: A Historical Breakthrough or a setback in new climate governance?

Sharaban Tahura Zaman considers the significance of the Paris Agreement, 2015 in the global climate regulatory regime, explaining how it inscribed a new pragmatic regulatory framework through Nationally Determined Contributions with the intention of delivering adequate mitigation actions and ratchet them up over time so that by the second half of the century carbon neutrality can be achieved. The discussion in the article develops under three broad themes. The first part briefly dwells upon the changing context of the climate governance regime from the top-down to the bottom-up approaches. Then, the second part examines the legal character of the ‘bottom-up pledge and review’ approach of NDCs through the lens of international law. The third part identifies the key strengths and weaknesses of NDCs’ ‘bottom-up pledge and review’ approach to effectively address mitigation issues.