Dhaka, Bangladesh — March 2, 2025: Nations failed to resolve a deadlock over the timing of the UN’s next major climate change assessment after a marathon meeting in Hangzhou, China, which US envoys skipped. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was debating whether to deliver its next three-part assessment before a 2028 United Nations’ “stock-take” of the global response to rising temperatures.
Wealthy countries and developing nations exposed to climate impacts pushed for an accelerated timetable, arguing that the reports would provide the most up-to-date science to guide their actions. However, objections came from some oil producers and major polluters, including India and China.
The talks extended over by more than a day, concluding late on March 1 with an agreement to proceed without a definitive deadline for delivery. The outcome was described as a “bitter disappointment” by Zhe Yao, a global policy adviser at Greenpeace East Asia, who stated that the deadlock “only serves those who wish to hold back climate action.”
The meeting was overshadowed by the US decision to stay away, as President Donald Trump continues to dismantle his predecessor’s climate policies. Experts warned that the absence of the US, a key player in global climate science, would be damaging. Leading climate scientist Johan Rockstrom emphasized the importance of international scientific progress for prosperity, equity, and resilience.
The meeting followed the hottest year on record and rising alarm over the pace of global warming. UN Environment Programme chief Inger Andersen urged for “ambitious” outcomes, warning that “time is not on our side.”
The UN’s first stocktake in 2023 highlighted slow progress on tackling warming, leading the COP28 climate summit to call for a move away from fossil fuels. The IPCC has warned that the world is on course to exceed the Paris climate deal’s long-term warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the early 2030s, with recent studies suggesting this milestone could be crossed before the end of the decade.