New National Climate Plans Unveiled At High Level Summit Un News

Leo Migdal
-
new national climate plans unveiled at high level summit un news

Only 64 countries have submitted new plans to cut carbon, the UN says, despite all being required to do so ahead of next month's COP30 summit. Added together these national pledges would fail to keep the world from warming by more than 1.5C, a key threshold to very dangerous levels of climate change. While the UN review does show progress in curbing carbon emissions over the next decade, the projected fall is not enough to stop temperatures surging past this global target. The report underlines the scale of the task facing world leaders who head to Belém in northern Brazil next week for the COP30 climate gathering. Ten years after the Paris climate pact was agreed in 2015, the efforts of countries to restrict the rise in global temperatures are under renewed scrutiny. NEW YORK: In a major show of global momentum, over 100 nations unveiled enhanced national climate action plans during a high-level UN summit held alongside the General Assembly week in New York.

The event, convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, comes just weeks ahead of COP30, set to be hosted in Belém, Brazil. The summit focused on fast-tracking climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, as global leaders work toward limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Guterres urged governments to submit new 2035 targets that go “much further and much faster,” specifically calling for dramatic emission cuts, clean energy acceleration, and stronger global cooperation. He outlined five priority areas: expanding clean energy, reducing methane emissions, protecting forests, cutting industrial emissions, and delivering climate justice for developing nations. Climate experts Johan Rockström and Katharine Hayhoe delivered a sobering assessment of the slow pace of climate action so far, but stressed that achieving the 1.5°C goal is still within reach with urgent global... Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the core mechanism of the Paris Agreement, were central to the discussions.

Brazil committed to slashing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 67 percent and reiterated its deforestation-free goal by 2030. Meanwhile, China pledged to cut net emissions by up to 10 percent from peak levels by 2035, increase non-fossil energy to over 30 percent, and expand renewable capacity sixfold. The European Union reported a 40 percent emissions drop since 1990 and pledged €300 billion in global climate finance. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc is intensifying clean energy efforts and deepening international partnerships to support the energy transition. Leaders from more than 100 countries announced or reiterated new national climate action plans during a meeting on Wednesday as part of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly. The game-changing summit was convened by Secretary-General António Guterres alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva of Brazil, host of the COP30 conference which kicks off in November in the Amazonian city of Belém.

At the outset, leading climate scientists Johan Rockström and Katharine Hayhoe provided a stark assessment of global efforts so far to honour the Paris Agreement, the landmark 2015 treaty that seeks to limit global... ‘A deep concern’ Ten years on, greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming continue to rise, and annual global temperature change exceeded 1.5 degrees for the first time last year. “This is a deep concern,” said Professor Rockström, chief scientist at Conservation International. “An even deeper concern is that warming appears to be accelerating, outpacing emissions.” The game-changing summit was convened by Secretary-General António Guterres alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva of Brazil, host of the COP30 conference which kicks off in November in the Amazonian city of Belém. In a strong show of momentum, major economies – including China, the world’s largest emitter, and Nigeria – unveiled economy-wide targets to slash emissions across all greenhouse gases and sectors, making pledges that signal...

Meanwhile, other nations stepped forward with bold commitments: scaling up renewable energy, cracking down on methane, protecting vital forests, and accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels. Together, these announcements mark a turning point in global climate ambition, setting the stage for COP30 and a decade of decisive action. At the outset of the summit, leading climate scientists Johan Rockström and Katharine Hayhoe provided a stark assessment of global efforts so far to honour the Paris Agreement, the landmark 2015 treaty that seeks... Ten years on, greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming continue to rise, and annual global temperature change exceeded 1.5 degrees for the first time last year. The 2025 UN climate talks wrapped on Saturday, Nov. 22 after negotiations pushed into overtime.

The resulting decision secured some important wins, both inside and outside the negotiations. But it omitted some of the big-ticket items many hoped to see. With efforts to halt temperature rise severely off track and climate disasters becoming ever-more destructive, the summit (COP30) aimed to establish clear pathways to deliver past pledges and put the world on a safer... A key question was how countries would address lagging ambition in their new climate commitments (NDCs). Hopes that countries would commit to roadmaps to end fossil fuel use and halt deforestation were ultimately dashed after opposition from petrostates. The final decision only included new voluntary initiatives to accelerate national climate action, though the Brazilian Presidency intends to move forward with fossil fuel and deforestation roadmaps outside of the formal COP talks.

Building resilience to climate impacts took center stage, with COP30 securing a new target to triple finance for climate adaptation. The COP also laid out practical solutions to increase finance for the low-carbon transition. In an era of trade wars and tariffs, negotiators also agreed for the first time to hold discussions on how trade policies can help — or hinder — climate action. Against the backdrop of the Amazon, nature also saw advances, including a new fund for tropical forest conservation. Indigenous Peoples and other local communities were recognized like never before. And outside the formal negotiations, the summit saw a raft of new pledges and action plans from cities, states, countries and the private sector.

It is clear that we are moving from negotiations to implementation, and from wrangling over what to do to how to do it. These victories matter. It shows that international cooperation can still deliver, despite deepening divides on climate action and a difficult geopolitical context. A voluntary plan to curb fossil fuels, a goal to triple adaptation finance and new efforts to “strengthen” climate targets have been launched at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. After all-night negotiations in the Amazonian city of Belém, the Brazilian presidency released a final package termed the “global mutirão” – a name meaning “collective efforts”. It was an attempt to draw together controversial issues that had divided the fortnight of talks, including finance, trade policies and meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C temperature goal.

A “mechanism” to help ensure a “just transition” globally and a set of measures to track climate-adaptation efforts were also among COP30’s notable outcomes. Scores of nations that had backed plans to “transition away” from fossil fuels and “reverse deforestation” instead accepted COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago’s compromise proposal of “roadmaps” outside the formal UN regime.

People Also Search

Only 64 Countries Have Submitted New Plans To Cut Carbon,

Only 64 countries have submitted new plans to cut carbon, the UN says, despite all being required to do so ahead of next month's COP30 summit. Added together these national pledges would fail to keep the world from warming by more than 1.5C, a key threshold to very dangerous levels of climate change. While the UN review does show progress in curbing carbon emissions over the next decade, the proje...

The Event, Convened By UN Secretary-General António Guterres And Brazil’s

The event, convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, comes just weeks ahead of COP30, set to be hosted in Belém, Brazil. The summit focused on fast-tracking climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, as global leaders work toward limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Guterres urged governments to submit new 2035 targets that go “mu...

Brazil Committed To Slashing Greenhouse Gas Emissions By Up To

Brazil committed to slashing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 67 percent and reiterated its deforestation-free goal by 2030. Meanwhile, China pledged to cut net emissions by up to 10 percent from peak levels by 2035, increase non-fossil energy to over 30 percent, and expand renewable capacity sixfold. The European Union reported a 40 percent emissions drop since 1990 and pledged €300 billion in g...

At The Outset, Leading Climate Scientists Johan Rockström And Katharine

At the outset, leading climate scientists Johan Rockström and Katharine Hayhoe provided a stark assessment of global efforts so far to honour the Paris Agreement, the landmark 2015 treaty that seeks to limit global... ‘A deep concern’ Ten years on, greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming continue to rise, and annual global temperature change exceeded 1.5 degrees for the first time last ...

Meanwhile, Other Nations Stepped Forward With Bold Commitments: Scaling Up

Meanwhile, other nations stepped forward with bold commitments: scaling up renewable energy, cracking down on methane, protecting vital forests, and accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels. Together, these announcements mark a turning point in global climate ambition, setting the stage for COP30 and a decade of decisive action. At the outset of the summit, leading climate scientists Johan Rocks...