Ghana is among the countries that missed the February 10 deadline for submitting 2035 climate targets, while 13 other nations successfully met the requirement under the Paris Agreement, highlighting a troubling absence of political will in combating climate change.

The 13 countries (7%) that met the February 10 deadline to submit their climate targets include the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Singapore, New Zealand, the Marshall Islands, Andorra, Saint Lucia, Ecuador, and Zimbabwe.

The United States, under former President Joe Biden, submitted its climate targets, despite former President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the country from the Paris Agreement.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has issued a statement emphasizing the critical need for immediate and decisive action in light of the accelerating pace of global warming. “So, it’s disappointing that only a handful of countries have submitted updated climate targets,” climate diplomacy researcher Camilla More said.

Camilla emphasized that the world cannot afford any more delays in addressing climate change. He highlighted the importance of this round of climate targets in steering global efforts towards combating the crisis. According to him, several countries have indicated they will submit updated plans later this year.

Camilla stressed that each country's target must reflect its fair contribution to limiting global warming to 1.5°C, which involves drastic emission reductions and increasing climate finance.

“Regardless of what some politicians might say, it doesn’t change the fact that the climate crisis is already wreaking economic havoc around the world. And the cost of inaction is only going to rise. There remains overwhelming public support for climate action. Yet some political leaders are continuing to act as handbrakes to that ambition.”

An analysis by IIED shows that over the past decade, governments worldwide have missed deadlines for submitting or updating their climate action plans more than half of the time.

The analysis, which compared the number of successful submissions to the required climate targets against the total number of countries that needed to meet them, revealed that 59% of deadlines were missed globally.

The analysis, which covered five major UN deadlines, found that 48 countries—about a quarter of the total—failed to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) well ahead of COP21 in 2015. By the end of 2020, only 73 nations met the original five-year deadline for updating and enhancing their climate plans.

Two additional deadlines in the year leading up to the postponed COP26 saw 38 and 30 countries submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). However, only 34 countries submitted updated NDCs between COP26 and the end of 2022, despite the Glasgow Climate Pact agreement. Notably, major oil producers such as the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—hosts of COP28—missed this crucial deadline.

IIED said failing to meet these deadlines not only reflects a lack of dedication to addressing climate change but also makes it more difficult for the UN to assess the potential impact of the actions countries have pledged to take.

IIED's review of NDCs revealed that only 48 countries, including the EU 27, have set a target date for achieving net-zero emissions. 20 countries also, including Brazil and Russia, have reduced their emission reduction ambitions over time, while six others have maintained the same level of ambition despite the Paris Agreement's requirement for continuous improvement with each new submission.

Executive Director of IIED, Tom Mitchell, expressed concern over governments' failure to act quickly in response to the climate emergency. He stated, "This is further evidence that governments aren't moving fast enough. Politics and greed are prioritizing short-term profits over the well-being of millions, hindering meaningful action to tackle the climate crisis."

 “The Climate Ambition Summit is a chance for world leaders to push aside the vested interests promoting delay and confusion, and instead bring forward a credible, united plan.”