POLICY BRIEF
Beyond NDCs:
A review of international commitments for climate and waste in Asia Pacific
GAIA Asia Pacific
About the Policy Brief
- Beyond NDCs: A Review of International Commitments for Climate and Waste in Asia Pacific is a policy brief prepared and published by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Asia Pacific in November 2026. It examines the NDC 3.0 submissions of 16 countries across Asia Pacific, assessing their commitments on waste, false solutions, Zero Waste measures, and climate finance conditionalities. The study is a document-based analysis of NDC texts. It does not constitute a comprehensive assessment of countries’ actual policies, funded projects, or implementation practices.
- Key Findings:
All 16 NDCs reviewed include false solutions, revealing a region-wide pattern in national climate commitments. CCUS is the most widespread technological false solution, appearing in 12 countries’ plans.
Countries receiving conditional finance showed higher likelihood of support for false solutions. This proves that our concerns about the possible influence of international finance and technology support on climate priorities are not unfounded.
Zero Waste commitments remain limited. Reuse appears in only three NDCs and recycling in nine. Six countries include Zero Waste measures alongside false solutions, exposing contradictions in their climate strategies.