Brazil urges global action as Cop30 deadline nears and major climate plans remain missing

Brazil is pressuring governments to submit updated climate targets ahead of a key UN meeting, as most countries — including top polluters — have yet to deliver their pledges.

Fiona Harvey reports for The Guardian.

In short:

• Only 28 countries have submitted their updated climate plans, or NDCs, ahead of the September 25 deadline, with key emitters like China and the Euoprean Union still missing.
• Brazil, hosting Cop30 in Belém this November, is stepping up diplomatic efforts to prevent a repeat of past UN climate gridlock and has called a rare pre-summit meeting in New York.
• Concerns over logistics and equity have emerged around the summit’s remote Amazonian location, where limited lodging and sky-high prices threaten to sideline smaller nations and civil society groups.

Why this matters:

Nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, are at the heart of the Paris Agreement’s strategy to curb global warming. But if major polluters don’t set strong targets or fail to act on them, the 1.5°C goal slips further out of reach, a threshold scientists say could trigger irreversible climate damage. The lack of submissions, and a fraught political backdrop with the U.S. now out of the Paris Agreement, adds urgency. On top of that, Brazil’s choice to host the summit in Belém — deep in the Amazon and with limited infrastructure — raises questions about global access to climate diplomacy. If small nations and civil society voices can’t afford to attend, the legitimacy and fairness of the entire negotiation process are at risk.

Learn more: The International Court of Justice just made it harder for countries to ignore the climate crisis