THE THIRD NATIONALLY-DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION AIMS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY 22% IN 2035.
Saint Lucia has officially submitted its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), following approval by the Cabinet of Ministers. This signals a bold step forward in the island’s climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. This move underscores the country’s commitment to addressing the global climate crisis and reinforces its position as a regional leader in climate policy development.
Saint Lucia's NDC 3.0 sets an ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and transport sectors by 22% in 2035, through enhanced deployment of wind and solar energy with battery storage, upgrades to the grid infrastructure, continued efforts to improve energy efficiency, and enhanced uptake of electric vehicles. This is a significant leap from the 7% reduction pledge made in its NDC of January 2021. Additionally, and conditional upon the successful exploration of the resource, Saint Lucia intends to add geothermal energy generation to its renewable energy mix, which would bring overall energy sector emissions down by 32% in 2035 and play a key role in meeting the country's climate goals. Both emission reduction targets are benchmarked against the island's baseline emissions, measured in 2010.
In addition to a stronger emissions reduction commitment, the NDC 3.0 also incorporates new initiatives in the forestry and cooling sectors. Reforestation efforts are expected to contribute an additional reduction of 33 ktCO2 by 2035, compared to 2010, while the cooling sector will aim to cut fluorinated gases (F-gases) from the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors by 10% by 2035, compared to the 2020-2022 baseline.
The estimated capital expenditure to implement the mitigation commitments of NDC 3.0 is USD 247 million, plus USD 178 million for the geothermal plant, should the resource be productive, and an additional USD 84 million for grid upgrades. Cognizant of limited fiscal capacity, the Government of Saint Lucia recognizes that achieving these ambitious targets will require external financial and technical support. For its part, the Government is fostering an enabling environment for key projects, such as the anticipated passage of the Electricity Supply Act, which aims to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technologies across the island.
Saint Lucia is proud to be the first in the Caribbean to submit its NDC 3.0, well in advance of the UNFCCC deadline of February 10, 2025, further affirming its leadership role in the Caribbean’s climate action efforts. The development of this enhanced NDC was led by the Department of Sustainable Development, Climate Change Focal Point within the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology, and Vocational Training, in collaboration with the National Climate Change Committee.
The Minister with responsibility for Climate Change matters, Honourable Shawn Edward, applauds the efforts of the competent team at the Department of Sustainable Development and reminds stakeholders that further to demonstrating solidarity and doing our part in meeting our obligations under the Paris Agreement, “more renewable energy results in greater savings in the fossil fuel import bill, resulting in more savings for reinvestment in national development”.
Technical support for the development of NDC 3.0 was provided by Climate Analytics, through the NDC-TEC project, funded by the German government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) and coordinated by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Saint Lucia’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution is available here: [Nationally Determined Contributions Registry | UNFCCC].
For more information, please contact Mrs. Dawn Pierre – Nathoniel: Chief Sustainable Development and Environment Officer or Mrs. Onika Benn: NDC In-Country Facilitator via email at dpnathoniel@gmail.com and onika.benn.5@ndcpartnership.org. Alternatively, both individuals may be contacted via telephone at 468 – 5805/719-0838 or 468 -5867/384-0679 respectively.