What's the latest news on global climate change efforts?

The most recent global developments I can reliably summarize are from COP29, held in Baku in November 2024. I can’t verify announcements made in 2025 or 2026, so this isn’t a live news update.

At COP29, countries agreed on a new climate-finance goal: developed countries are to take the lead in mobilizing at least $300 billion a year by 2035 for developing nations. The agreement also called for efforts to scale total climate finance from public and private sources to $1.3 trillion a year by 2035. The amount and how the money will be delivered drew criticism from countries that say their needs are much greater.

Negotiators also advanced rules for international carbon-credit trading under the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, countries were expected to submit stronger national climate plans in 2025, setting targets for 2035. Those plans matter because current commitments still fall short of the emissions cuts needed to limit warming to 1.5°C.

These talks build on the COP28 pledge to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, triple global renewable-energy capacity, and double the rate of energy-efficiency improvements by 2030. The key question now is how quickly governments turn those pledges into funded policies and measurable emissions reductions. For current announcements, check the UN climate change news page or a trusted news service.