With barely four months until COP30 opens in Belém, Brazil, summit CEO Ana Toni has sounded an alarm, calling the climate crisis “the war of our generation” and chiding governments for foot-dragging on new emissions pledges. Only 27 of nearly 200 countries have filed updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs), even after global temperatures briefly breached the 1.5 °C threshold this month. Negotiators meeting informally in Bonn last week left core issues—fossil-fuel phase-outs and climate-finance commitments—largely untouched, feeding fears of another watered-down accord.

Toni urged major emitters to deliver “credible, front-loaded targets” before ministers arrive in Brazil, noting that early action would also unlock cheaper capital for developing nations. Her remarks come as the United States defers new climate-aid funding and the EU struggles to finalise a tougher 2035 carbon-budget law amidst farm-sector protests. Analysts say a successful COP30 hinges on whether China clarifies its coal-retirement timetable and whether the G-20 can agree on a loss-and-damage finance architecture at its preliminary meeting in October.