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Climate change is accelerating, driving more extreme weather, food insecurity, displacement, and destruction worldwide. 2024 was the hottest year on record, at approximately 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. While a single year above 1.5°C does not mean the Paris Agreement has been breached, it is a stark warning that this is the decisive decade for climate action.
This year marks a pivotal moment for climate action — ten years since the Paris Agreement. 2025 is the year for countries to submit updated national climate plans with 2035 targets. At the UN Climate Summit in September, nearly 100 nations pledged new targets, with major economies such as China and Nigeria unveiling economy-wide emissions targets for the first time. From expanding renewables and protecting forests to phasing out fossil fuels, the solutions are clear. As COP30 convenes in Belém, Brazil this month, countries must come together to turn ambition into action.
Read more about Goal 13: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/
SDG 13 in Numbers 
“The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing. We are in the dawn of a new energy era.”
– António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, 22 July 2025
Second World Summit for Social Development | Doha, Qatar | 4 – 6 November
The Second World Social Summit for Social Development takes place in Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 6 November 2025. It gathers world leaders and various stakeholders to review progress since the 1995 Copenhagen Summit, address urgent gaps, and agree on bold, people-centred policies that promote social justice, equality and inclusion worldwide.
Key Resources:
Website: https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025
Programme: https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025/programme
Media materials: https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025/media
Social media content: https://trello.com/b/kCDPdDrs/second-world-summit-for-social-development-4-6-november-2025-doha-qatar
UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) | Belém, Brazil | 10 -21 November
The 30th UN climate conference will take place in Belém, Brazil. It will bring together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and civil society to discuss priority actions to tackle climate change. COP30 will focus on the efforts needed to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, the presentation of new national action plans (NDCs) and the progress on the finance pledges made.
Key Resources:
Website https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/un-climate-conferences
Programme: https://unfccc.int/documents/649532
Participation details: https://unfccc.int/cop30/ifp#Registration
The road to COP30
In the lead-up to and during COP30, the United Nations is issuing a series of major reports on climate impacts and solutions:
Climate and Energy Facts 
Climate change is a hot topic – with myths and falsehoods circulating widely. Find some essential facts here. Share them, use them and talk about them to help counter mis- and disinformation and build support for urgent action.
Myth Busters
Climate Action Fast Facts
Climate Explainers
Tips for Communicating on Climate Change
18 | Launch of the 2025 World Urbanization Prospects
The 2025 World Urbanization Prospects introduces globally comparable population data on cities, towns and rural areas supporting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development planning. It projects continued urban growth and a rising number of megacities, mainly in Asia, which already hosts the world’s largest cities. The report calls for integrated planning across all types of settlements to foster sustainable living and protect the environment.
The report will be available here on 18 November.
02 | International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists calls attention to one of the most important challenges of recent times. While from 2017 onwards UNESCO recorded gradual decreases in media workers killed in conflict zones, the trend has been reversed in recent years.The protection of journalists is an essential precondition to freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens. Learn more here.
05 | World Tsunami Awareness Day
The theme of World Tsunami Awareness Day 2025 is “Be Tsunami Ready: Invest in Tsunami Preparedness”. Investments in tsunami early warning, evacuation mapping and education reduce mortality, limit disruption and protect development gains along coasts. Join the conversation on tsunami preparedness here.
06 | International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
The environment often becomes a hidden casualty of war – through polluted water sources, torched crops and damaged ecosystems. Over 40 per cent of conflicts in the past 60 years have been linked to natural resources. The UN emphasizes that lasting peace requires protecting the environment, as healthy ecosystems and sustainable resource use are key to preventing conflict and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Get more details here.
19 | World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day 2025 highlights the theme “Sanitation in a changing world.” Coordinated by UN-Water, the campaign calls on governments, organizations and communities to invest in sustainable sanitation for all, protecting people and the planet. Additional information can be found here.
20 | World Children’s Day
Child rights are non-negotiable and universal. But cuts to funding, growing violations of international humanitarian law and increasing challenges to child rights are putting young lives at risk. World Children’s Day marks the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. Follow the campaign here.
ActNow for a Healthy Planet!
ActNow is the United Nations campaign to inspire people to speak up and take action for the Sustainable Development Goals. From 21 October to 21 November ActNow is making a global call for 100,000 actions to protect our planet as the world prepares for the UN Climate Conference, COP30 in Brazil. Every action—big or small—helps safeguard the places, people, and communities we love. So speak up, take action, and show world leaders that people everywhere are doing their part to tackle the climate crisis and they should do the same. Together, we can build a safer, healthier, and more prosperous future for all!
Visit ActNow to learn more and download the app: https://www.un.org/actnow
National climate action plans
As the climate crisis intensifies, the stakes could not be higher. This year, every country is required to submit an updated national climate action plan – called Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. To preserve a livable plant, these plans must align with limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The UN has come together to drive communication and advocacy efforts on the NDCs. Learn more about the NDCs here: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/all-about-ndcs
Awake at Night Podcast
The United Nations Secretary General has issued a red alert for the planet after a full decade of record-breaking heat driven by human activity. In this episode, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Celeste Saulo reflects on our shared responsibility to future generations, on an emotional meeting with the Pope, and on why she can never give up hope. Listen to the full episode here.
Discover all the episodes and previous seasons here -> https://pod.link/1429922419
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