---
title: "Most countries miss UN deadline for new climate targets"
description: "BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Many of the world's biggest polluter nations have missed a UN deadline to set new climate targets as efforts to curb global warming come under pressure following U.S. President Donald Trump's election."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Climate"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-10-most-countries-miss-un-deadline-for-new-climate-targets/"
published: "2025-02-10T12:42:25"
updated: "2025-02-10T12:42:26"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 466
---

# Most countries miss UN deadline for new climate targets

> BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Many of the world's biggest polluter nations have missed a UN deadline to set new climate targets as efforts to curb global warming come under pressure following U.S. President Donald Trump's election.

By Reuters · Published 10 February 2025, 14:42 SAST · Updated 10 February 2025, 14:42 SAST

## Key points
- As nearly 200 nations scramble to submit their climate plans before the deadline, it seems that the only thing warming up is the atmosphere, while the biggest polluters remain stuck in a bureaucratic ice age.
- Nearly 200 countries faced a deadline to submit new climate plans to the U.N. amid rising global temperatures, with major polluters like China and India yet to comply.
- Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare criticized the lack of substantial government action as global warming surpasses 1.5°C for the first time.
- While some nations, including the U.S. and U.K., have announced new plans, the U.S. is expected to withdraw from its commitments under Trump’s administration.
- The missed deadline raises concerns about climate action priorities, with key countries promising to submit plans by the upcoming COP30 summit.

## Content

The nearly 200 countries signed up to the Paris Agreement faced a Monday deadline to submit new national climate plans to the U.N., setting out how they plan to cut emissions by 2035.

As of Monday morning, many of the world's biggest polluters - including China, India and the European Union - had not done so.

"The public is entitled to expect a strong reaction from their governments to the fact that global warming has now reached 1.5 degrees Celsius for an entire year, but we have seen virtually nothing of real substance," said Bill Hare, CEO of science and policy institute Climate Analytics.

The 2015 Paris climate accord commits nations to try to avoid global warming exceeding 1.5 C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Action to date has fallen far short of the deep emissions cuts that would achieve this. Last year was [the first](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N3O50P3&linkedFromStory=true) to breach 1.5 C of warming.

Large economies that have announced new climate plans include the U.S., Britain, Brazil, Japan, and Canada - although Trump is expected to scrap the [U.S.'s Biden-era contribution](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3NJ157&linkedFromStory=true).

Trump last month [ordered the U.S.](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL3N3OH0LO&linkedFromStory=true) to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and [paused](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL3N3ON0IS&linkedFromStory=true) some federal clean energy spending.

U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said [last week](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3OX126&linkedFromStory=true) most countries have indicated they will still produce their plans this year.

"Countries are taking this extremely seriously, which isn't surprising given these plans will be key to how much of the 2 trillion boom governments can secure," Stiell said, citing the $2 trillion invested globally in clean energy and infrastructure last year.

"So taking a bit more time to ensure these plans are first-rate makes sense," he added.

But the missed deadline adds to concerns that climate action has fallen down government agendas, with some officials signalling that the U.S. U-turn on climate policy is disrupting other nations' efforts.

EU climate policy chief Wopke Hoekstra [told Reuters](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N3O31BD&linkedFromStory=true) last month the bloc's policymaking cycle did not line up with the U.N. deadline, but that Brussels would have its plan ready for the COP30 U.N. climate summit in November.

India has not yet finished the studies needed to design its climate plan, a government official [told Reuters](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N3P10GB&linkedFromStory=true).

China will publish its climate plan "in due course", a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

A spokesperson for Indonesia's Environment Ministry said the ministry was awaiting instructions from the President's office on submitting its climate target.

The governments of Iran, Russia and South Africa did not respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett; additional reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh in New Delhi, Ananda Teresia in Jakarta, Colleen Howe in Beijing, Casey Hall in Shanghai, David Stanway in Singapore, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Alasdair Pal in Sydney, Tim Cocks in Johannesburg, Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; Editing by Angus MacSwan)