PARIS: The United Arab Emirates was among just 10 nations worldwide to meet a key UN deadline for submitting new climate targets, as nearly all other countries — including major economies — failed to deliver their updated commitments on time.
Under the Paris Agreement, nearly 200 nations were required to submit enhanced plans by February 10 outlining how they would steepen emissions cuts by 2035. However, according to a UN database tracking submissions, only a handful met the deadline.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell has called these latest national pledges “the most important policy documents of this century”, but several top polluters — including China, India and the European Union — were absent from the list.
The UAE, along with the United States, Britain, Brazil, Ecuador, Saint Lucia, New Zealand, Andorra, Switzerland, and Uruguay, was among the few to meet the deadline. Most G20 nations failed to submit their revised targets, raising concerns about a global backslide on climate action.
Major economies lag behind
Despite mounting pressure to lead on climate action, major economies such as China, India and the EU failed to submit their updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) on time.
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Countries missing the deadline represent 83% of global emissions and nearly 80% of the world’s economy, according to Carbon Brief analysis.
The COP30 summit in Brazil this November is being billed as a key moment for countries to increase their efforts towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
According to the most recent UN emissions gap report, countries remain largely off track for meeting the Paris goals, with 2035 climate pledges needing to deliver a “quantum leap in ambition” to give the world a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C.
Just 10 of the 195 parties to the Paris Agreement have met the UN deadline to publish 2035 climate pledges by February 10
Many of the world’s largest emitters have cited technical issues, economic pressures and political uncertainty as reasons why they have not been able to meet the UN deadline.
Unnamed Indian officials have said they are in “no hurry” to release the nation’s (Nationally determined contributions) NDC and might submit it in the “second half of this year”, according to the Indian Express.
They added that India’s NDC will “reflect the disappointment of the climate finance outcome at COP29 in Baku”, a “hint” that it is “unlikely to be a significant or ambitious upgrade of climate actions”.
The US, Britain, and Brazil — host of this year’s UN climate summit — were among the few G20 countries to comply.
The US submission, however, remains largely symbolic, as it was made before President Donald Trump ordered Washington’s withdrawal from the Paris deal.
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No legal penalty, but credibility at stake
There is no formal penalty for late submissions, but NDCs serve as an accountability measure, signalling governments’ commitment to tackling climate change.
Global emissions must nearly halve by 2030 to meet the targets set under the Paris Agreement, yet emissions continue to rise.
Last week, Stiell emphasised that all submissions must be made by September to allow proper assessment ahead of the COP30 climate summit in November.
A spokeswoman for the EU said the 27-nation bloc intends to submit its revised targets “well ahead” of the summit. Analysts expect China — the world’s biggest emitter but also its top investor in renewable energy—to unveil its much-anticipated climate plan in the second half of the year.
The sluggish response to the UN deadline has sparked concerns over whether global climate efforts are losing momentum amid shifting geopolitical priorities.
Ebony Holland of the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development noted that while the US retreat from climate commitments was “clearly a setback”, broader global challenges are also at play.
“There are major geopolitical shifts underway that are making international cooperation more difficult, particularly on crucial issues like climate change,” she said.
