Project: Sino German Cooperation on Climate Change - NDC Implementation

With the next cycle of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) approaching in early 2025, pressure is building up to address non-CO2 emissions, which currently contribute about

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Effort sharing, in the EU context, refers to a policy framework, and associated legislation, whereby the EU’s overall emissions reduction
target is translated to targets for individual Member States. This paper looks at the EU’s effort sharing approach to greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions reductions: how EU-wide emissions reduction targets have been translated to individual Member State targets, what policies
have been put in place at the EU and Member State levels to ensure said targets are met, and what have been the results thus far. This
examination has been carried out with the view of providing useful lessons for China and its provinces.

As the impacts of climate change are now being experienced across the globe, so the scale of the adaptation challenge is becoming
increasingly apparent. Over the last decade, almost every nation has begun the process of adaptation planning in some form. At a national
level, many countries now have National Adaptation Strategies or National Adaptation Plans. These often inform, and are informed by,
sub-national adaptation planning processes which are usually tailored to the governance structure of the country and the different tiers
of government which may exist. The number of sectoral adaptation plans has also grown considerably, as countries better understand the
distinct challenges of adapting to climate change.
The growing demand for adaptation planning has generated a burgeoning academic literature, but also an exponential growth in practical
guidance, tools and resources aimed at those tasked with developing adaptation plans. While climate adaptation is inherently context
specific, it is clear that a number of key principles for good adaptation planning can be identified which can be of considerable value
to those beginning this process. More specifically, the framing of adaptation as a cycle is extremely valuable for those trying to interpret
national level approaches in a sub-national context. This approach emphasises adaptation planning as a continual process, rather than an
end goal, which is especially important as we continue to experience worsening climate change impacts, including multiple interacting
impacts in increasingly dynamic social and economic contexts.
The purpose of this briefing note is to consider and compare the more practical literature on adaptation in order to reflect on how the
process of adaptation planning has been conceptualised, and to identify lessons from this continually evolving field which can be used as
China begins to strengthen adaptation at the sub-national level. We focus particularly on experiences from Europe and Germany, however
it should be noted that many of the key concepts are consistently used globally, and have proven to be useful in a multitude of contexts.