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UN calls on countries to set new climate targets in the month of September

The United Nations called on countries to develop more ambitious climate plans this month in order to put pressure on major economies, including China and the EU. This is ahead of this year’s U.N. Climate Summit.

The U.N. asked countries to submit plans called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by September, so their efforts could be evaluated before the COP30 Summit in Brazil in November. The majority of countries have not yet done so, despite having agreed to submit them by this year as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The updated NDCs must describe how each country intends to reduce emissions by 2035.

Simon Stiell, the U.N. chief of climate change, wrote to almost 200 countries in a letter describing the NDCs "the cornerstone for humanity's fight against global climate crises."

The letter was published by the U.N. and stated that "These national climate policies... are among the most powerful engines for economic growth and increasing living standards in this century." China, the largest polluter in the world, has only said that it will increase its target by the fall. The European Union struggles to come up with a plan. This month, France and Poland asked for a delay on the approval of the proposed 2040 target, which would have influenced the 2035 goal.

The U.N. report will indicate if countries are on the right track to keep global warming at safe levels, or if their plans need to be stepped up.

The response of governments will be a test for their climate commitment, especially at a moment when the United States is pulling away from the initiative. They are the biggest polluter in history and the biggest economy. The hottest year ever recorded was last year, and all 10 of the hottest years in history occurred within the past 10 years. Climate change is worsening extremes of weather on all continents, from wildfires to torrential rainstorms. (Reporting and editing by Kate Abnett, Katy Daigle, and Chizu Nomiyama)

(source: Reuters)