Close to 100 countries – including nearly 40 Heads of State and Government – have announced, committed to finalising or set out their commitment to implementing their new climate targets ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil this November. The announcements came at a Climate Summit convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil on the margins of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

“The science demands action. The law commands it. The economics compel it. And people are calling for it,” said the UN Secretary-General in his opening statement.

Around 100 Parties to the Paris Agreement representing two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions have now either submitted or unveiled new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets – setting out their commitments to accelerate climate action. For the first time, several major economies including China – the world’s largest emitter – as well as Nigeria announced economy-wide emissions reduction targets covering all greenhouse gases and all sectors. Other nations detailed ambitious renewable energy goals, plans to curb methane emissions, strategies to safeguard forests, and measures to phase out fossil fuels.

Leaders emphasised that accelerating the energy transition can unlock jobs, growth, and energy security. Developing countries, meanwhile, underscored the importance of incorporating adaptation, resilience, and loss and damage measures within their NDCs, stressing the urgent need for scaled-up financing to meet and surpass their ambitions.

While these pledges mark progress, leaders acknowledged that ambition gaps remain to keep 1.5C in reach and deliver on finance and adaptation. Solutions Dialogues held throughout the week by the United Nations and Brazil highlighted that the technologies and tools needed to decarbonise energy, transport, and industry, protect forests, and strengthen resilience are already available. The challenge now is to accelerate scale.

Closing the Climate Summit, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said: “Leaders across the world have stood together to show that even at a moment of division and uncertainty, the resolve and determination to fight the climate crisis is alive and strong.”