Many of the world's largest polluting countries, including the EU, India, and China, have missed the deadline set by the United Nations to submit new national climate plans.
This was reported by Reuters.
Almost 200 signatories to the Paris Agreement had to submit these documents by February 10. The national plans will contain information on how states want to reduce their emissions by 2035.
Which countries have submitted their plans on time
Among the major economies that have already announced new climate plans are the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan, and Canada. However, analysts have expressed concerns that Trump will abandon the US contribution announced during Biden's term.
According to Simon Still, head of the UN climate service, most countries have promised to prepare their plans this year.
“Countries are taking this extremely seriously, which is not surprising given that these plans will be key to how much of the $2 trillion governments will be able to raise. So taking a little bit more time to make sure these plans are prioritized makes sense,” he said, referring to the funds invested globally in clean energy and infrastructure in 2024.
The missed deadline has experts worried that climate action has fallen off the agenda of governments. Some officials say that the reversal in US climate policy undermines the efforts of other countries.
When to expect national climate plans from other countries
According to Reuters, the EU will prepare its plan for the COP30 climate summit in November, as the bloc's policy cycle does not coincide with the UN deadline.
The agency also submitted requests for comments on the timing to other governments. The responses revealed that:
- India has not yet completed the research necessary to develop its climate plan;
- China will publish its plan “in due course,” according to the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- Indonesia's Ministry of Environment is awaiting instructions from the President's office on how to present its climate goal.
The governments of Iran, Russia and South Africa did not respond to requests for comment.
Recently, EcoPolitic reported that in 2024, global investment in clean energy exceeded $2 trillion for the first time. We also informed that President Donald Trump had withdrawn $4 billion that the United States had promised to contribute to the UN Climate Fund.
