The world’s attention turned to New York in late September 2025, as more than 100 nations gathered for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The meeting, which ran from September 23 to 27, became a pivotal moment for the global climate agenda, even as international tensions and competing political priorities threatened to overshadow the urgent need for action. Leaders, diplomats, and business executives alike converged to discuss the future of the planet, with climate change remaining stubbornly at the center of the debate.
Despite the fraught geopolitical backdrop—marked by major power rivalries, trade disputes, and debates over Palestinian statehood—the climate crisis managed to keep its place on the political radar. According to The New Humanitarian, more than 100 countries arrived at the UNGA with their “nationally determined contribution” (NDC) policies in hand. These NDCs are the backbone of the Paris Agreement’s approach to limiting global warming, representing each country’s public pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But here’s the rub: while the act of showing up with climate plans is notable, the substance of those plans is falling short. As Romain Ioualalen, policy chief at Oil Change International, told The New Humanitarian, “Not all countries bear equal responsibility for this collective failure. A handful of wealthy Western countries, led by the United States…have doubled down on oil and gas production for the past decade with no intention of changing course, mocking any notion of justice and equity in the transition.”
The numbers tell a sobering story. According to ECCO’s coverage of the summit, governments globally still plan to produce 120% more fossil fuels by 2030 than would be consistent with keeping warming below 1.5°C, and 77% more than would keep us under 2°C. The third round of NDC submissions was due in February 2025, yet only 13 out of 195 parties met the deadline. To push for more ambitious targets, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened a Climate Summit alongside the General Assembly. In his opening remarks, Guterres underscored the urgency: “The science demands action. The law commands it. The economics compel it. And people are calling for it.”
Nearly 100 countries, representing about two-thirds of global emissions, announced or reaffirmed their commitment to new climate targets ahead of COP30, set for November in Belém, Brazil. However, only 51 had formally submitted their NDCs to the UN by the end of September, and just six of these came from G20 members. The ambition, experts agree, is still insufficient to meet the 1.5°C “survival limit” set by the Paris Agreement.
China’s role loomed large over the proceedings. Reiterating its commitment to climate multilateralism, Beijing announced a new climate plan that, for the first time, set an explicit emissions reduction target: a 7-10% cut relative to an undefined peak year. Yet, as ECCO reported, this is far below the minimum 30% reduction needed to align with 1.5°C, and the plan’s commitment to 3,600 GW of solar and wind capacity by 2035 is less ambitious than business-as-usual projections. Notably, China did not repeat its previous pledge to reduce coal consumption over the next five years—a worrying omission for many observers.
China’s approach, some analysts argue, is consistent with its tradition of under-promising and over-delivering. Since its first NDC, China has been responsible for 90% of global emissions growth but has also installed more renewable capacity than the rest of the world combined. Over the past decade, it has transitioned from a recipient of climate finance to a net provider, investing more than $220 billion in green technology across 54 countries since 2022. During the New York meetings, China also backed Brazil’s $125 billion Tropical Forests Forever Facility, signaling an interest in climate leadership—if not yet the ambition many had hoped for.
Europe, meanwhile, found itself in a quandary. Once a champion of climate action, the European Union failed to submit a new formal NDC by the UNGA deadline. Instead, it issued a statement of intent, pledging to reduce emissions by 66.25% to 72.5% compared to 1990 levels, with a promise to finalize its target before COP30. The final number, still under debate, depends on the outcome of discussions over the EU’s 2040 climate goals. The bloc’s internal divisions—driven by political and economic tensions, and rising skepticism from far-right parties in countries like Poland, Czechia, and even France—have made it difficult to maintain the ambition that once set Europe apart.
Many nations from the Global South, echoing positions voiced at the Africa Climate Summit, criticized the EU for not living up to its promises, especially regarding financial support for climate adaptation and mitigation. Kenyan President William Ruto, for instance, called for $56 billion to help Africa implement its NDCs, warning, “Without affordable finance and without reform of the international financial architecture, the promise of climate action in Africa will remain constrained.”
Italy’s delegation, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, walked a fine line. While reaffirming support for multilateralism and acknowledging the risks of climate change, Meloni’s speech echoed anti-green rhetoric, blaming “unsustainable environmentalism” for de-industrialization and calling for technological neutrality—a stance critics say could delay meaningful action. However, recent economic analyses suggest that embracing green industrial transformation could boost Italy’s manufacturing productivity and GDP, while saving billions on fossil fuel imports and raw materials.
Business leaders and investors also made their presence felt, with the largest-ever New York Climate Week running parallel to the official UN proceedings. According to ECCO, the events highlighted growing awareness in the financial sector of the risks and losses associated with climate change and a delayed transition. Banks and investors are increasingly attuned to the need for clear, ambitious policies to guide long-term investment.
Looking ahead, COP30 in Brazil looms as a critical juncture. As The New Humanitarian and ECCO both note, the summit in Belém is expected to address the glaring ambition gap in the current NDCs and shift the focus from negotiation to implementation. Before the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world was on track for more than 5°C of warming. Ten years later, projections have improved to between 2.5°C and 3°C—still far too high for a stable and livable planet, but a sign that international cooperation can bend the curve.
Ultimately, the events in New York showed that, even in a world beset by division and doubt, climate action remains a shared priority—if not yet a shared ambition. The coming months will reveal whether global leaders can bridge the gap between promises and progress, and whether the world can still rally to meet the defining challenge of our time.
