Overview

• At a UN high-level climate session in New York, Lula said submitting updated NDCs is an obligation, citing the International Court of Justice, and warned that weak outcomes in Belém could fuel climate denialism.
• China announced a 7%–10% emissions reduction target for 2035 relative to its peak, alongside plans to expand wind and solar capacity to 3,600 GW and lift non-fossil energy to 30% of consumption.
• Updated NDCs now total 53 submissions, covering roughly 24% of global emissions, leaving several major economies without formal 2035 plans on record.
• The UNFCCC plans an October assessment of ambition, while the EU has offered only a letter of intent rather than a finalized target for 2035.
• Political tensions flared as President Donald Trump denounced climate action as a “fraud” and the U.S. skipped the meeting, while environmental groups questioned Brazil’s 59%–67% 2035 emissions band as insufficiently specific or short of a 1.5°C pathway at the low end.