The signatory states to the Paris Climate Agreement have committed to adjusting their national climate targets (NDCs) in five-year cycles in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The official deadline for submitting the new NDCs ends today. More than half of the countries - including India, China and the EU - will not meet the deadline set by the United Nations. However, a certain delay is not surprising, as there have never been as many elections and new governments as in 2024. Germanwatch and Misereor emphasise: Better ambitious climate targets a few months later than on time but less consistent. The organisations are calling on the EU to present action plans by September at the latest that fully address the problem and thus also encourage other countries to significantly improve their targets.

"Many countries are still adopting a wait-and-see and tactical approach. The gap between the countries' climate commitments to date and what is needed to meet the Paris targets is very large. If this does not change quickly, the risk of falling into an escalating climate crisis will increase considerably. It is important that all countries publish their targets well before the next climate conference in Brazil in November. So far, we have seen a lot of shadows as well as light: Brazil, for example, has already presented comprehensive targets at an early stage. However, even these are not yet ambitious enough," says Petter Lydén, Head of International Climate Policy at Germanwatch.

Madeleine-Alisa Wörner, Misereor expert for energy and climate, adds: "The weaknesses of the existing climate plans were identified at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai (COP 28) in a global review. We see phasing out the use of fossil fuels as an important part of a good NDC. Clear scenarios for an end to the burning of coal, oil and gas are crucial here in order to build on the progress already made. In the implementation of greenhouse gas reduction in particular, nothing must be lost in terms of scope and determination. There must be no watering down through excessively broad timeframes, exemptions for certain sectors or new investments in fossil fuel infrastructure."

Lalit Chennamaneni, Germanwatch expert for international climate policy: "For many countries in the Global South, the lack of financial support for the implementation of their national climate targets is a huge problem. This is another reason why they are holding back. This applies in particular to adaptation measures and dealing with the damage caused by the climate crisis. Attempts to mobilise private funds will not be enough. Innovative approaches are urgently needed, such as taxing billionaires or levies on international shipping and air traffic, to ensure the necessary funding."

With the US withdrawal from Paris, the EU and China are all the more challenged

Wörner adds: "For climate policy to be fair and not bypass the people, it also requires the systematic involvement of civil society and affected groups in the development and implementation of national targets. Transparency and participation in the formulation and implementation of targets are crucial for this. This also applies to the EU, where there is great uncertainty about the timetable for the publication of the NDC."

Historically, the European Union is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world. With the withdrawal of the USA from the Paris Climate Agreement, the EU is now all the more challenged. This is why Germanwatch and Misereor are calling for Germany to push for a climate target of at least 90 to 95 per cent greenhouse gas reduction in the European Council for 2040. Both organisations believe that ambitious targets are very achievable because renewable energies have long been competitive. They form the basis for making clear with China and other major emitters in view of the USA's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement: We are staying the course. In view of the worsening climate crisis, both organisations are calling on the EU to achieve a large part of the reductions required by 2040 by 2035.