| Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement do not generally constitute obligations for the Contracting Parties. However, in order to help Contracting Parties standardize and implement their NDCs, the Paris Agreement sets out their obligations in respect of some matters of NDCs, while other obligations are left to their own discretion. Those obligations are characterized by a division in terms of source, content, nature and binding force, thus forming a dual obligation model centered on NDCs. This model is conducive to resolving the political deadlock in the international climate cooperation, but is also faced with inherent normative difficulties that are highlighted in its operation. The corresponding normative improvements include supplementing the relevant obligations derived from treaty norms through the decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, promoting the identification and classification of the relevant obligations determined by Contracting Parties autonomously through the practice of NDCs, and strengthening the rules related to the facilitative function of the supervision mechanism of NDCs. As an important contributor and active practitioner of the Paris Agreement, China should adopt legal measures in accordance with the improvement trends and requirements of the dual obligation model of NDCs. |
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