Climate change - news and funding

The United Nations (UN) climate conference, Conference of the Parties (COP30), hosted by Brazil in Belém, took place from 10 November to 21 November 2025. It concluded with an agreement to scale up climate finance significantly, committing to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to support developing countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to worsening climate impacts. The summit also launched initiatives such as the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Belém Mission to 1.5°C, aimed at helping nations deliver on their pledges. However, while there was strong pressure to agree on a fossil fuel phase-out, the final text only included voluntary plans and just transition mechanisms rather than a binding roadmap.

The UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) published its 2025 progress reports in July, highlighting that the UK is still not on track to meet its 2030 target. The reports stress the urgent need to accelerate delivery of climate commitments, particularly in home energy efficiency, heat pump rollout, and industrial decarbonisation. On adaptation, the CCC warns that progress remains too slow, leaving communities vulnerable to climate risks. We also need to empower and inform households to make low-carbon choices as we aim to achieve net zero by 2050. View 2025 Reports to Parliament (theccc.org.uk) on progress in reducing emissions and adapting to climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) continues to emphasise that we cannot wait to tackle climate change. Its latest assessments confirm that limiting warming to 1.5°C is critical and warn that delays will lead to catastrophic impacts, including more frequent extreme weather events and biodiversity loss.

Find out more about COP30 (carbonbrief.org) outcomes, or learn what climate change is and what is being done.

Last updated: 25/11/2025 15:37