The Kingdom of Tonga is located in the central South Pacific and lies between 15° to 23.5° South and 173° to 177° West. Tonga is an archipelago of 172 islands with a total land area of 718 square kilometers, comprising of four clusters of islands. Although Tonga has negligible contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions with low per capita emissions, it has taken a holistic approach and looks at mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction as building resilience for the whole of Tonga. Mainstreaming the goal of a “Resilient Tonga” into government legislation, policies and planning across all levels is an important first step for this to ultimately build a resilience Tonga by 2035.
NDC Target
Tonga submitted its enhanced (second) Nationally Determined Contribution on 09 December 2020 to the UNFCCC Secretariat.
Conditional (100.00%)
renewable electricity as well as energy efficiency measures
• Establish a forest inventory as prerequisite to identify a GHG emission target for Tonga’s Third
NDC in 2025
• Planting 1 million trees by 2023
• Expansion of formal waste collection system as prerequisite to identify a GHG emission target
for Tonga’s Third NDC in 2025
• 30% of land in Tonga utilized for agro-forestry or forestry by 2025
• Prevent any permanent loss of land to rising sea levels on Tonga’s four main islands
• Maintenance of the existing stocks of fish and other marine species through a commitment to
expand the area covered by Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Special Management Areas
(SMAs) to 30% of Tonga’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
Unconditional (0.00%)
As mandated by the Secretariat, countries are to submit enhanced NDCs every five years to reflect their updated climate action and emission reduction targets. This is in line with the commitments made by Tonga under the Paris Agreement of 2015. Tonga aims to reduce emissions and channel in increased investments in the climate resilience and its NDC calls for a more cost-effective national response to avoid the large costs which will accumulate over time due to climate inaction. Tonga targets 70% electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030.
Target Sector
Adaptation
- Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
Mitigation
- Energy
- Waste
- Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)
Target Year
Activity Implementation Year
Current Activity
The Regional Pacific NDC Hub is working with the Tonga’s Department of Climate Change under Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change, and Communication (MEIDECC) and has completed review of Tonga’s 2015 INDC and provided recommendations for the 2020 Enhanced NDC. Currently, the NDC Hub is working in Tonga on its MRV system, and preparation of an NDC Implementation Roadmap and NDC Investment Plan.
Tonga continues to uphold its commitment to the Paris Agreement and aspires to communicate an updated NDC by 2020.
- Mr. Paula Ma'u, CEO - Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications
Tonga's NDC Journey
The Intended Nationally Determined Contribution for Tonga was submitted in 2015.
The Second (enhanced) Nationally Determined Contribution for Tonga was submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat on 09 December 2020.
Contact details in-country team
Ms. Lu‘isa Tu‘i‘afitu Malolo
Director of Department of Climate Change, MEIDECC
Email: [email protected]
The Regional Pacific NDC Hub is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of United Kingdom, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand.
