UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit held at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 24, 2025. A high-level special event on climate action is being held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A high-level special event on climate action is being held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

In his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said thanks to the Paris Agreement, the projected global temperature rise in the past 10 years has dropped from four degrees Celsius to less than three if current nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are fully implemented.

"Now, we need new plans for 2035 that go much further, and much faster," delivering dramatic emissions cuts aligned with 1.5 degrees Celsius, covering all emissions and sectors, and accelerating a just energy transition globally, Guterres said.

The UN chief said that China met its 2030 wind and solar target six years ahead of schedule, and India reached 50 percent electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels five years early.

"COP30 in Brazil must conclude with a credible global response plan to get us on track," he said, listing five areas as crucial: energy -- while fossil fuels still dominate, the clean energy transition must be supercharged; methane -- a potent global heating gas, drastic cuts of which in this decade are essential; forests -- the destruction of nature's greatest carbon sinks must be ended; heavy industry -- important advances in technologies have helped cut emissions from steel and cement, and heavy transport; and climate justice.

Guterres called for urgent action to unlock funds for developing countries to seize clean energy benefits and protect lives and economies.

Given the pace and scale of the climate crisis growing across the globe, the UN secretary-general is convening the climate summit, held on the sidelines of the general debate of the UN General Assembly, to serve as a platform for world leaders to present their new national climate action plans and seize the benefits of the new clean energy era.

By COP30, scheduled for November in Belem, Brazil, all parties to the Paris Agreement must submit new NDCs that reflect bold action for the next decade. ■

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addresses the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit held at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 24, 2025. A high-level special event on climate action is being held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

Given the pace and scale of the climate crisis growing across the globe, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is convening the climate summit, held on the sidelines of the general debate of the UN General Assembly, to serve as a platform for world leaders to present their new national climate action plans and seize the benefits of the new clean energy era. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)