On 10 March at 15:00 CET, the World Resources Institute (WRI) is hosting a webinar on "Which Countries are Stepping Up Climate Action Ahead of COP26?".

Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to ratchet up their efforts to combat climate change every five years. We have now reached the “ratchet” point, with countries beginning to submit new and updated national climate plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs) ahead of the COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow this November. While the COVID-19 crisis has delayed the process of developing and submitting enhanced NDCs for many countries, over 70 countries submitted new or updated NDCs in 2020, many of them with strengthened ambition on mitigation, and many more plans are expected to be unveiled in the months ahead.

How strong or weak are the national climate plans countries released in 2020? Which major emitters haven't unveiled their national climate plans yet – and which are likely to enhance? And how will we know if these new national climate plans collectively put us on a path to limiting dangerous levels of warming?

This webinar will discuss the state of national climate action ahead of COP26, including an overview of the UNFCCC's NDC Synthesis Report released on February 26 assessing national climate plans submitted by the end of 2020. WRI experts will also demonstrate tools on Climate Watch for policymakers and stakeholders to examine national climate commitments and compare countries’ efforts.