Looming deadline for submissions
Brazil has made a final appeal to world governments to submit updated climate commitments ahead of this year’s UN climate summit, Cop30. So far, only 28 countries have lodged their carbon-cutting proposals, with major emitters such as China and the EU still missing.
Pressure builds before UN report
The UN requires all national climate strategies, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), by 25 September to prepare a “synthesis report”. This document will assess how far the world remains from the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global heating below 1.5C.
Brazil steps up diplomacy
André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil’s veteran diplomat and Cop30 president, has written to governments urging ambitious plans. He warned that if submissions are weak, further negotiations at Cop30 will be unavoidable. Brazilian president Lula da Silva has also stepped up engagement, holding direct talks with China’s Xi Jinping to press for action.
Challenges ahead of summit
The presidency will convene an unusual “consultation meeting” in New York on 25 September, followed by another in October, to avoid the gridlock that has plagued recent climate talks. But Brazil faces logistical hurdles: Cop30’s host city, Belém, lacks adequate hotels and infrastructure, with some accommodation priced at more than $1,000 a night, raising concerns from developing nations and civil society groups about being sidelined.
