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Where We Are
Climate change is accelerating, driving more extreme weather, food insecurity, displacement, and destruction worldwide. 2024 was the hottest year on record, at approximately 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. While a single year above 1.5°C does not mean the Paris Agreement has been breached, it is a stark warning that this is the decisive decade for climate action.
This year marks a pivotal moment for climate action — ten years since the Paris Agreement. 2025 is the year for countries to submit updated national climate plans with 2035 targets. At the UN Climate Summit in September, nearly 100 nations pledged new targets, with major economies such as China and Nigeria unveiling economy-wide emissions targets for the first time. From expanding renewables and protecting forests to phasing out fossil fuels, the solutions are clear. As COP30 convenes in Belém, Brazil this month, countries must come together to turn ambition into action.
Read more about Goal 13: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/
SDG 13 in Numbers
- The pace of the climate crisis is accelerating. 2024 was the warmest year in the 175-year observational record, surpassing the previous warmest year, 2023.
- The last decade (2015-2024) was the warmest on record, and each of the last four decades has been warmer than any previous decade since 1850.
- With every fraction of a degree of warming, extreme weather events become more frequent and more intense.
- Switching energy systems from fossil fuels to renewables like solar or wind will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change.
- Renewable energy – from the sun, water and the wind – is gaining ground. Renewables made up over 90 per cent of new power installed in 2024, and global investment in clean energy is twice that of fossil fuels. According to a recent report, in the first half of 2025, renewables generated more electricity than coal for the first time.
- More investment is needed in resilient infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, nature and other ways of strengthening communities against the impacts of climate change.
- Early warning systems for disasters save lives and property, and can deliver benefits up to 10 times the initial cost.
“The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing. We are in the dawn of a new energy era.”
– António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, 22 July 2025
In Focus
Second World Summit for Social Development | Doha, Qatar | 4 – 6 November
The Second World Social Summit for Social Development takes place in Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 6 November 2025. It gathers world leaders and various stakeholders to review progress since the 1995 Copenhagen Summit, address urgent gaps, and agree on bold, people-centred policies that promote social justice, equality and inclusion worldwide.
Key Resources:
Website: https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025
Programme: https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025/programme
Media materials: https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025/media
Social media content: https://trello.com/b/kCDPdDrs/second-world-summit-for-social-development-4-6-november-2025-doha-qatar
UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) | Belém, Brazil | 10 -21 November
The 30th UN climate conference will take place in Belém, Brazil. It will bring together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and civil society to discuss priority actions to tackle climate change. COP30 will focus on the efforts needed to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, the presentation of new national action plans (NDCs) and the progress on the finance pledges made.
Key Resources:
Website https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/un-climate-conferences
Programme: https://unfccc.int/documents/649532
Participation details: https://unfccc.int/cop30/ifp#Registration
The road to COP30
In the lead-up to and during COP30, the United Nations is issuing a series of major reports on climate impacts and solutions:
- UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025 (4 November): This report assesses the gap between current greenhouse gas emissions and the levels needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals.
- WMO Provisional State of the Global Climate Report (6 November): This report focuses on key climate indicators – greenhouse gases, temperatures, sea level rise, ocean heat and acidification, sea ice and glaciers – as well as the impacts of climate change and extreme weather.
- UNHCR report “No Escape II: The Way Forward” (10 November, TBC): In collaboration with expert organizations, research institutes and refugee-led organizations, the report will address the intersection of climate change, conflict and forced displacement.
- UNEP Global Cooling Watch Report 2025 (11 November): This report provides a call to action for countries to pursue the policies and strategies that have the greatest impact in reducing cooling-related emissions and advancing sustainable cooling for all.
Climate and Energy Facts
Climate change is a hot topic – with myths and falsehoods circulating widely. Find some essential facts here. Share them, use them and talk about them to help counter mis- and disinformation and build support for urgent action.
Key Events
18 | Launch of the 2025 World Urbanization Prospects
The 2025 World Urbanization Prospects introduces globally comparable population data on cities, towns and rural areas supporting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development planning. It projects continued urban growth and a rising number of megacities, mainly in Asia, which already hosts the world’s largest cities. The report calls for integrated planning across all types of settlements to foster sustainable living and protect the environment.
The report will be available here on 18 November.
International Days and Years
02 | International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists calls attention to one of the most important challenges of recent times. While from 2017 onwards UNESCO recorded gradual decreases in media workers killed in conflict zones, the trend has been reversed in recent years.The protection of journalists is an essential precondition to freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens. Learn more here.
05 | World Tsunami Awareness Day
The theme of World Tsunami Awareness Day 2025 is “Be Tsunami Ready: Invest in Tsunami Preparedness”. Investments in tsunami early warning, evacuation mapping and education reduce mortality, limit disruption and protect development gains along coasts. Join the conversation on tsunami preparedness here.
06 | International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
The environment often becomes a hidden casualty of war – through polluted water sources, torched crops and damaged ecosystems. Over 40 per cent of conflicts in the past 60 years have been linked to natural resources. The UN emphasizes that lasting peace requires protecting the environment, as healthy ecosystems and sustainable resource use are key to preventing conflict and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Get more details here.
19 | World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day 2025 highlights the theme “Sanitation in a changing world.” Coordinated by UN-Water, the campaign calls on governments, organizations and communities to invest in sustainable sanitation for all, protecting people and the planet. Additional information can be found here.
20 | World Children’s Day
Child rights are non-negotiable and universal. But cuts to funding, growing violations of international humanitarian law and increasing challenges to child rights are putting young lives at risk. World Children’s Day marks the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. Follow the campaign here.
ActNow for a Healthy Planet!
ActNow is the United Nations campaign to inspire people to speak up and take action for the Sustainable Development Goals. From 21 October to 21 November ActNow is making a global call for 100,000 actions to protect our planet as the world prepares for the UN Climate Conference, COP30 in Brazil. Every action—big or small—helps safeguard the places, people, and communities we love. So speak up, take action, and show world leaders that people everywhere are doing their part to tackle the climate crisis and they should do the same. Together, we can build a safer, healthier, and more prosperous future for all!
Visit ActNow to learn more and download the app: https://www.un.org/actnow
National climate action plans
As the climate crisis intensifies, the stakes could not be higher. This year, every country is required to submit an updated national climate action plan – called Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. To preserve a livable plant, these plans must align with limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The UN has come together to drive communication and advocacy efforts on the NDCs. Learn more about the NDCs here: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/all-about-ndcs
The United Nations Secretary General has issued a red alert for the planet after a full decade of record-breaking heat driven by human activity. In this episode, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Celeste Saulo reflects on our shared responsibility to future generations, on an emotional meeting with the Pope, and on why she can never give up hope. Listen to the full episode here.
Discover all the episodes and previous seasons here -> https://pod.link/1429922419