As many as a third of nations participating in a new survey said they had not yet begun the process of setting climate targets for the post-2020 period, according to the NewClimate Institute.

The survey, commissioned by the UNFCCC and UNDP, tracked the progress in setting INDCs among 81 countries accounting for over half of global greenhouse gas emissions, and found that a large number of countries plan to submit their plans to the UN in September.

Only a handful will do so by a Mar. 31 deadline, as called for by a UN climate summit Lima last December.

“The data shows that over one third of countries are still yet to begin the INDC process,” the NewClimate Institute said on Thursday.

“Roughly another third have initiated the national discussion, but not yet proceeded to the technical design.”

Nations cited the short time frame and a lack of high-level political support as the main barriers to completing the work, while a lack of expertise in carrying out technical assessments and uncertainties over what should be included in the INDCs were also identified as stumbling blocks.

A dearth of climate funding from richer nations was also cited by many developing countries, with more than a quarter of the countries surveyed saying they were still applying to receive financial assistance.

The level of progress in finalising INDCs varied among regions, according to the survey, with African countries expected to make the latest submissions.

The results of the survey suggest it may be difficult for negotiators attending the upcoming Paris summit in December to prepare by going through the submitted INDCs, as some nations predicted their submissions to come as late as November or December.

Switzerland last week became the first country to announce its INDC, saying it would cut its emissions to 50% below 1990 levels by 2030

By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com