Kuwait pledges to cut its GHG emissions by 7.4% in 2035

Kuwait has updated its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), pledging to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 7.4% under the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario by 2035 with unconditional national effort. Under its BAU scenario, the country estimates GHG emissions at around 142 MtCO_2eq by 2035, which is 65% more than in 2016 (reference year). The 7.4% cut would limit GHG emissions by nearly 11 MtCO_2eq to 132 MtCO_2eq. Most of the reduction in GHG emissions would come from an oil-to-gas substitution in energy production, new CCGT power plants, energy efficiency measures and renewable projects; Kuwait would also promote carbon capture and storage and mangrove cultivation.

In 2016, fuel combustion activities accounted for 95% of the country’s total GHG emissions (86 MtCO_2eq), followed by industrial processes and product use (2%) and waste (2%). In 2018, Kuwait ratified the Paris agreement. Its first NDC implied a commitment to set up a transition to a low-carbon economy, without a quantitative target.