Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy

A voluntary document, invited under Article 4.19 of the Paris Agreement, in which a country sets out its direction of travel to mid-century: sectoral pathways, technology assumptions, infrastructure choices and investment needs. Unlike an NDC it is not a target with a compliance-relevant deadline; it is a strategy, and countries vary widely in how detailed and how binding they make it.

Why it matters in the room

The LT-LEDS gives an NDC its context — the same ten-year target reads very differently depending on the pathway it sits on. Investors, lenders and partner governments read it for signals about where a country intends its energy and industrial system to go.