Pacific calls for urgent climate action as latest UN report warns world is off track

Pacific Civil Society Representatives at the 62nd UNFCCC Subsidiary Body Meeting in Bonn, Germany earlier this year. Photo: Dylan Kava | PICAN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BELÉM, 4 November 2025 – The latest UN Environment Programme Emissions Gap Report 2025 delivers yet another stark warning - the world is still far off track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, with current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) leading us towards a devastating 2.3–2.5°C pathway of warming. For the Pacific, where the impacts of the climate crisis are already a lived reality, this failure to act with urgency is nothing short of an injustice.

This latest report reaffirms what our communities have been saying for years - that while the science grows clearer, global action remains far too slow. The findings highlight the widening gap between promises made and the real action needed to keep 1.5°C alive.

Dr Sindra Sharma, International Policy Lead at PICAN, says:

“This report lays bare the painful truth that global ambition is still nowhere near what is needed to keep our islands safe. For the Pacific, this goes beyond merely policy failure, it’s a death sentence. The numbers in this report are alarming, but they are also incomplete. They do not account for all emissions, including those from military activities, which means the crisis is even more severe than these projections suggest.

Expanding fossil fuels is incompatible with a livable future. COP30 must be the moment where leaders match science with courage and ambition. The world must finally commit to a full, fair, and fast phase-out of fossil fuels, backed by real finance and justice for those on the frontlines. The Pacific has done everything it can to lead with moral clarity - now we need the world to act with integrity. Every fraction of a degree matters, and every delay puts our future further out of reach.”

As leaders prepare to gather in Belém for COP30, PICAN is urging governments to match words with action: to deliver real commitments that phase out fossil fuels, scale up climate finance, and put justice at the heart of the negotiations as 1.5C will only die if you choose it to.

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Note to Editors

• Our Pacific Climate Justice Demands which outlines Pacific priorities for COP30

About PICAN

PICAN is a regional alliance of 260+ non-government organisations, civil society organisations, social movements and not-for-profit organisations from the Pacific Islands region working on various aspects of climate change, disaster risk and response, and sustainable development.

Media Contact:

Dylan Kava, Strategic Communications Lead, PICAN

dylan.kava@pican.org | +679 9061989 (Manila / GMT+8)