Major Nations Miss UN Climate Change Deadline, Sparking Concerns

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A majority of nations, including significant emitters like China, India, and the European Union (EU), failed to meet a critical United Nations climate change deadline on February 10, 2025, which required updated carbon reduction targets. According to a UN database, only 10 out of nearly 200 countries submitted their revised commitments on time, highlighting challenges in international cooperation on climate efforts.

Ebony Holland from the International Institute for Environment and Development noted, "It's clear there are some broad geopolitical shifts underway that are proving to be a challenge when it comes to international cooperation, especially on big issues like climate change."

The deadline was set under the 2015 Paris Agreement, which obliges nations to propose more ambitious climate goals by 2035 and provide detailed plans for achieving them. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil were among the few countries that met the deadline, although the U.S. commitment was largely symbolic, as it was made prior to President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement.

France, despite its central role in European climate policy, has struggled to reconcile its ambitions with tangible results.

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