Limited Climate Action Seen as COP30 Approaches

Mon Nov 10 2025 20:42:34 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As the COP30 summit draws near, only 64 countries have submitted new climate pledges, highlighting a significant gap in global efforts to combat climate change effectively.

Ahead of the COP30 summit, only 64 out of 197 countries have submitted new climate action plans required under the Paris Agreement. Despite projections of reduced carbon emissions, experts warn these measures are insufficient to prevent global temperatures from exceeding the critical 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, indicating a pressing need for more robust commitments at the conference.

Only 64 countries have submitted new plans to cut carbon emissions, as required ahead of next month's COP30 summit, according to a UN report. This leaves a daunting challenge for world leaders gathering in Belém, Brazil, next week.

The pledges currently on the table would not prevent temperatures from rising above the 1.5C limit— a crucial benchmark to avoid severe climate impacts.

Even though there is some progress in projected carbon reductions over the next decade, experts caution that it won’t be enough to meet global targets. The lack of commitments represents around 30% of global emissions, painting a worrying picture of the climate action landscape.

Since the Paris climate agreement in 2015, signatory countries are supposed to submit updated emission reduction strategies every five years, but many have missed the mark this year despite extensions. Notably, major emitters like India and Indonesia have yet to announce their plans.

In statements following the UN review, significant players like China and the EU have made declarations at Climate Week in New York regarding their future actions, but experts say the current efforts fall short of the necessary cuts to stabilize the climate.

This report illustrates that while progress is being made, it's too slow, and the difference between intention and action must be addressed, remarked Laurence Tubiana from the European Climate Foundation.

The recent findings force a harsh reflection on how close we are to overshooting the 1.5C threshold, with alarming projections indicating that we may breach this limit permanently by the early 2030s. Given the mounting impacts of heatwaves, storms, and ecological dangers, the urgency to elevate climate commitments remains paramount as the world gears up for COP30.

UN leaders, while acknowledging the daunting road ahead, expect that more countries will unveil their commitments as the summit begins, with the hope of reducing emissions significantly over the coming years.