The following is a transcript of remarks made by Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Germany, on 25 March 2025.
Honorable Ministers, Distinguished Delegates, Friends,
We have seven months, 20 days, and nine hours until the start of COP30.
The task ahead is clear. With the Global Stocktake behind us and a new climate finance goal in place, COP30 is where we answer the questions the Paris Agreement proposes for us.
Among them, how do we get from the 5 degrees trajectory we were at before Paris, to the 3 degrees we are at now, to the degrees we will be at when we get the NDCs in by the end of this year, to 1.5 that we have committed to pursue.
COP30 will need to respond to the new national climate plans submitted this year - and chart a course for the next decade to get us on track to meeting our commitments and targets under the Paris Agreement.
And just as important is what happens between now and then - is the progress we make in the coming months, days and hours.
New national climate plans are crucial. Countries are submitting their next round of Nationally Determined Contributions - or NDCs - setting the course for deeper emissions cuts and increased resilience.
Already we've seen several major economies send clear signals they are stepping up climate action by submitting bold new climate plans. Because it makes smart financial sense. Climate plans are turning into country platforms, which are driving investment into economies.
The NDC synthesis report, which will be published ahead of COP30, will show how far we still have to go to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century, as all countries have agreed.
At the heart of all potential action, the question of how we pay for it, remains paramount. As I've highlighted, in some cases, climate action will be the catalyst bringing the money in. In other areas, we have to work hard to get climate finance right.
With a new global finance goal now in place, 2025 is about moving from pledges to real investments. It's also about working out how we mobilize 1.3 trillion dollars annually under the Baku to Belém Roadmap.
It is essential that more finance flows to developing countries, as they struggle under existing colossal debt servicing costs and sky-high costs of capital, and an international development finance landscape that has gotten much tougher this year.
Fortunately, much has been done to prepare for this new focus on implementation. We now have a clearer picture of developing countries' needs, with more detailed reporting in their NDCs and National Adaptation Plans.
I support the incoming COP30 President's call for a global mutirão-a collective effort-against climate change. COP30 must be the moment we turn the tide by listening to and learning from Indigenous Peoples and local communities who have for a long time led the way.
One thing I hear loud and clear is the need to ensure adaptation remains front and center of our agenda. National Adaptation Plans, or NAPs - crucial roadmaps for resilience - are also due now in 2025.
As we approach COP30, it's urgent that all Parties submit their NAPs and turn them into strategies for mobilizing public, private, and international resources.
Delivering on the COP26 promise to double adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025 will be critical for developing countries to scale up their implementation efforts.
Ministers, Delegates, Friends, if I can make only one salient point for 2025, it is this - it's time to hold strain, stick by the process that has been delivering and focus on the wins that are happening day by day, on the ground, making action happen.
The clock is ticking, and every minute counts from now to COP30.
I thank you.
