Statement of Kaveh Guilanpour
Vice President for International Strategies, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
October 28, 2025
On the UNFCCC Nationally Determined Contribution Synthesis Report:
“Today’s report from the UNFCCC delivers important news that the world is moving in the right direction on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, we are bending the curve on global heating, and the Paris Agreement is working. The report indicates this progress despite a majority of countries missing the deadline to submit nationally determined contributions, giving us only a partial picture of where things stand on climate ambition. It only covers around 1/3 of countries and around 1/3 of emissions”.
“Around 130 countries must still come forward with their new NDCs, including a number of major emitters. Until they do, we can’t get a full picture of the collective ambition of countries towards meeting the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement”.
“C2ES will be watching closely as another synthesis report is released at the end of this week — on country Biennial Transparency Reports — outlining how more than 100 countries have implemented their prior NDCs to make progress on the Paris Agreement’s goals. Though transparency and reporting is often overlooked, this forthcoming synthesis report is a vital milestone that will represent a more accurate portrayal of real progress than NDC targets — which are just words on paper until they are implemented.”
“Since it was adopted ten years ago, successive rounds of ambition by countries under the Paris Agreement have significantly reduced projected levels of global heating, from between 3.7 and 4.8 degrees Celsius to, between 2.6 and 2.8 degrees by the end of the century. The latest NDCs will continue to take us closer to staying within the 1.5˚C limit of the Paris Agreement. The question is no longer whether the world will transition away from fossil fuels or achieve net zero emissions — the only question is by when this will happen”.
“Progress has clearly not been at the pace necessary to stay within the 1.5˚C limit. We need to shift to transformative levels of climate action and implementation. This will require:
- follow through on the targets set in the first global stocktake, such as tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030
- enhancing international cooperation, including through coalitions of the willing and front runners demonstrating leadership and taking advantage of emerging economic opportunities
- and ensuring that the next global stocktake helps create the political space for more ambition climate action. It can only do this by addressing the concerns and priorities of people around the world — including on issues such as energy access, cost and security, as well as adapting to the impacts of climate change.”
Read the latest C2ES analysis in our recent paper: NDCs 3.0: How GST Targets and Signals Inform New Commitments
Read more about C2ES work to support the Paris Agreement.
About C2ES: The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) works to secure a safe and stable climate, by accelerating the global transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and a thriving, just, and resilient economy. Learn more at www.c2es.org.
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