Last week, heads of state and business leaders convened in New York City for the United Nation’s (U.N.’s) Climate Ambition Summit. Hosted by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, the event aimed to build momentum for countries to strengthen climate targets ahead of the COP28 Summit in Dubai (Reuters). The U.N. outlined specific criteria for leaders and entities to be selected to speak on climate issues. For countries, these criteria include updating their pre-2030 climate plans, committing to net-zero emissions, and phasing out oil, gas, and coal. Additionally, new climate funding pledges and adaptation plans were considered. 

There were several speeches from representatives of Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Pakistan, South Africa, and Tuvalu (Reuters). Brazil’s environment minster Marina Silver issued revised climate goals that include 48% lower emissions by 2025 (Reuters). Other notable announcements came from Canada, which plans to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector by the end of the year, and Spain, which pledged $240 million to the Green Climate Fund (E&E News). 

While representatives from 32 countries were in attendance, there were noticeable absences from China and the United States, two of the world's biggest emitters, at the summit (AP News). Guterres has criticized the insufficient climate actions of leaders, emphasizing the urgency of the Paris Agreement's goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. "I'm not sure all leaders are feeling the heat. Actions are falling abysmally short," he said in his opening remarks before the U.N. General Assembly (Reuters). 

Sultan Al Jaber, who is set to oversee the forthcoming climate negotiations in Dubai, presented significant figures regarding the challenge at hand. He pointed out that the world needs to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a staggering 22 billion metric tons within the next seven years to achieve its climate objectives. Addressing the summit, Al Jaber acknowledged the daunting scale of the task, urging everyone to focus on reducing emissions rather than engaging in conflict (AP News).