Almost all nations missed the UN deadline to submit new climate targets by February 10, 2025. Under the Paris Agreement, countries were expected to provide steeper headline figures for cutting heat-trapping emissions by 2035 and detailed blueprints for achieving these reductions.
However, only ten countries out of nearly two hundred submitted their plans on time, it emerges today.
The United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Switzerland, the UK, New Zealand, and the US were among those that submitted their plans on time. However, even among these submissions, not all met ambitious targets aligned with limiting warming to 1.5°C.
Large emitters like China, India, and most G20 economies missed the deadline. The European Union also did not submit its revised targets on time but intends to do so before COP30 in November.
The UN has urged countries to submit “first-rate” climate targets by September ahead of COP30 in Brazil later this year.
The lack of urgency from major polluters raises concerns about backtracking on climate action globally. Current global emissions are rising instead of decreasing as needed to meet Paris Agreement goals. There is no penalty for missing deadlines since Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are not legally binding but serve as accountability measures.
To limit warming below 1.5°C or even 2°C above pre-industrial levels requires significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions—42% between 2019 and 2030 for a 1.5°C goal—and a substantial transformation across energy systems worldwide.
Developed countries must lead with more ambitious NDCs while supporting developing nations in their efforts towards net-zero emissions post-2050.