New York Climate Week 2025 was a study in contrasts. On one side of the UN General Assembly, Donald Trump — the host country’s president — called the green transition “the biggest con ever.” On the other, more than 120 countries used the same stage to raise their ambition.

 

It was raining new climate plans: China announced 7–10% cuts by 2035 and a six-fold expansion of solar and wind; the EU raised its target to 66–72%; Australia, Nigeria, and Pakistan set new 2035 goals; and a wave of smaller nations from Liberia to Vanuatu unveiled updated plans. In total, 49 countries have now updated their NDCs, covering a quarter of global emissions — with China and the EU set to deliver even more detailed plans ahead of COP30 in Brazil this November.

 

And in a powerful twist, Colombia — an oil-producing country — announced it will host the world’s first fossil fuel phase-out summit in 2026.

 

Out in the city, the streets buzzed with thousands of business leaders, activists, and scientists pushing for more action. And thanks to our broadcast, more than 8.5 million viewers joined the conversation.

Highlights from our broadcast

• 📺 Make Science Great Again — Live from Stockholm, we heard the unfiltered voices of scientists who refuse to be silenced. One powerful message: Donald Trump is not a climate denier, but a liar—he knows the science, but chooses to deceive. We also heard from a U.S. scientist who fled her home country to Sweden—just to keep doing her research free from political pressure.
• 📺 Business Determination — Companies are coming together around a new, science-based Carbon Removals Action Guide from the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, Oxford Net Zero, and partners. The message is clear: it’s not either/or. We must cut emissions and scale removals to reach net zero on time.

• 📺 The Solar Revolution — Legendary activist Bill McKibben joined us to launch his new book “Here Comes The Sun” and film on the unstoppable rise of solar power. In one of the most inspiring moments, our own moderator Nick Nuttall sat down with McKibben to discuss why solar may be the last chance for civilization as we know it. Their dialogue—and the image of them together—captured the spirit of Climate Week: determined, hopeful, and human.

Meanwhile, the world kept moving forward

While Trump shouted, the world delivered. Just look at what happened this September alone reported weekly on We Don’t Have Time by Assaad Razzouk — a tidal wave of climate progress that no single speech can erase:

1. 🌊 The High Seas Treaty entered into force, protecting 61% of our oceans for the first time in history.
2. 🇨🇴 Colombia announced it will host a fossil fuel phase-out summit in 2026 — a groundbreaking step for an oil-producing nation.
3. 🇩🇪 Germany locked in 80% renewables by 2030 — in Europe’s largest economy.
4. 🇦🇺 Australia raised its climate targets: 62–70% cuts by 2035, net-zero by 2050.
5. 🇮🇳 India’s power-sector CO₂ fell in the first half of 2025 — only the second time in 50 years.
6. 🇨🇳 China passed 40 million EVs sold, with sales up 36% year-on-year.
7. 🇺🇸 Clean energy delivered 82% of all new U.S. energy jobs in 2024 — growing three times faster than the rest of the economy.
8. 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia launched a 5.3 GW solar and wind tender — in the heart of oil country.
9. 🌐 The ozone layer is on track to recover to 1980s levels by mid-century, says WMO.
10. 🇩🇪 Germany’s EV market jumped to 30.6% of new sales, up from 20.6% last year.
11. 🇬🇧 UK households set new records in August for installing heat pumps, batteries, and solar.
12. 🇺🇸 Two California oil refineries announced closure as gasoline demand enters permanent decline.
13. 🇨🇳 China’s EV charging stations surged 54% year-on-year, now totaling 17 million units.
14. 🇺🇸 California extended its carbon market through 2045 — one of the toughest in the world.
15. 🇦🇺 Australia is set to smash its 2030 rooftop solar target of 37.2 GW.
16. 🇺🇸 The U.S. National Academies declared GHG harm to human health “beyond scientific dispute.”
17. 🇮🇳 India allocated $570 million to help its steel industry decarbonize.
18. 🚢 200 shipping companies demanded the first-ever global fee on shipping emissions.
19. 🇨🇳 China will double energy storage to 180 GW by 2027, up from 95 GW today.
20. 🇺🇸 A next-generation geothermal pilot will be built in Utah, unlocking 24/7 clean energy.
21. 🇺🇸 20 U.S. states sued FEMA for terminating a climate adaptation funding program — showing climate denial now faces legal pushback.
22. 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 Youth activists are taking the U.S. Administration to court over its anti-environment agenda.

The bigger picture

History is clear: those who tried to block progress—the ones who fought the spinning jenny—never won. They won’t win this time either. One man shouting at the UN won’t stop the momentum. In fact, it may only fuel it.
According to studies, 89% of citizens now want strong climate leadership from their politicians.

But here’s the challenge: as long as this vast majority remains silent, we won’t hear about this progress loudly enough. And in that silence, the anti-science minority grows louder and more dangerous.

Just look at Germany: ⚠️ One of Germany largest political party AfD recently tried to strip funding from the world-renowned Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) — one of the most respected scientific institutions on Earth. They failed, but their attempt is a warning: science itself is under attack.
That is why it matters that we aired the latest science from PIK during Climate Week, together with Nick Oldridge, Co-founder of Climate Science Breakthrough, who plans to bring emergency climate briefings to the UK Parliament. It shows what the deniers fear most: science informing politics, and truth shaping decisions.
This is why we must act. The 89% must step forward and defend science. We must raise our voices louder than the deniers. Louder than the lies. Louder than the attacks.
This is what #MakeScienceGreatAgain is all about: giving attention to the cause, amplifying truth over denial, and building unstoppable momentum.
We need you to be loud. We need you now. 💚

Next week, October 1–3, Pope Leo XIV has invited climate leaders to his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, for a landmark gathering: Raising Hope for Climate Justice. By opening his home, the Pope is underscoring both the urgency and the moral weight of the climate crisis.

 

Among those invited is former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a pioneering political leader on clean energy, Bill McKibben, trailblazing climate author and advocate; Katharine Hayhoe, award-winning climate scientist and communicator; Bianca Pitt, leading voice for gender equality in climate leadership; and our very own founder and CEO, Ingmar Rentzhog, driving climate action from the business community and civil society.

 

They will join faith leaders, Indigenous representatives, scientists, activists and business leaders from all parts of the world, forming a rare coalition united around climate justice.

 

If the UN General Assembly showed that most of the world is determined to act despite obstruction, the Vatican sends an even stronger signal: the climate fight will only be won through cooperation that transcends borders, ideologies, and institutions — underpinned by science and moral leadership.

 

We Don’t Have Time will be there to carry these voices far beyond the Vatican.

And you can be part of it, too: some sessions will be available to join online.