Global Town Hall 2025: World Enters 1.5°C "Overshoot" Zone, What Happens to Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)?

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FPCI held a Global Town Hall 2025 forum, titled “Winning Humanity’s Greatest Battle: Building a Strategic North-South-East-West Grand Alliance for the Climate Future We Need”  on November 15, 2025.

The Global Town Hall 2025 forum, titled “Winning Humanity’s Greatest Battle: Building a Strategic North-South-East-West Grand Alliance for the Climate Future We Need” and organized by FPCI on November 15, 2025, issued a stark warning: the world has officially entered the overshoot era, where the safe global warming limit of 1.5°C is no longer a future target but an unjust reality being felt today.

Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), opened the discussion with a firm statement: “The climate crisis is now a lived reality, not a future threat. The crisis has arrived sooner than anticipated.” He cited extreme events from Chennai to the Caribbean as proof that the crisis is accelerating, while the global political landscape shifts with major emitter nations withdrawing from climate commitments.

The forum agreed that the core problem has shifted from an environmental issue to a crisis of trust, justice, and power, requiring a revolutionary new global alliance.

Kumi Naidoo, President of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, stated that the climate battle cannot be won through scientific communication alone. “People are not moved by data or jargon; they are moved by heart, culture, art, and ‘artivism’,” he said. An honest starting point, he argued, is to admit global failure, but human intelligence and creativity can still turn the crisis into an opportunity through massive mobilization.

Although commitment to the Paris Agreement remains strong—evidenced by more than 185 governments preparing for COP30—trust between the Global North and the Global South remains fragile. Lola Vallejo, Director of Diplomacy at the European Climate Foundation, stated that Europe is striving to restore trust through implementation credibility, with the European Union on track to meet its 55% emissions reduction target by 2030 and having submitted a new NDC of 66-72% for 2035.

However, voices from the Global South were firm: “Ambition is no longer the main issue. The real test is credible implementation.” The funding gap, technology access, and debt burdens hindering the adaptive capacity of developing nations remain critical, unanswered points.

The issue of fossil fuel phase-out created the sharpest tension. Kumi Naidoo called for a global consensus that “no new fossil fuel investment makes sense,” with momentum driven by cities, states, and religious institutions. He also highlighted the role of courts, such as International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings, in increasingly enforcing legal accountability for climate damage.

On the other hand, many developing nations emphasized the principle of justice: “Demands for a rapid transition without just support are unreasonable.” They demand guarantees of affordable financing and technology transfer before committing to the pace of transition demanded by the Global North.

The primary grievance of the Global South is a global financial system that punishes the most vulnerable nations. Climate disasters lower credit ratings and increase debt costs, creating a “double injustice.” The forum urged fundamental reforms: fair debt rules, new international tax schemes, and protection from investor lawsuits that hinder the energy transition.

Lola Vallejo acknowledged the need for greater adaptation finance and stronger global partnerships, but the loudest demands for structural change came from nations experiencing these systemic impacts firsthand.

Collective Action is the Only Way Forward

The Global Town Hall 2025 concluded with a realistic yet urgent message: the global climate system is still standing, but time for piecemeal action has run out. The world needs a genuine North-South-East-West strategic alliance, built on the pillars of implementation, a just energy transition, financial reform, and placing communities at the center of action.

Trust will only recover as fast as implementation progresses. The next phase of climate leadership will be determined not by new promises, but by the ability to act together—swiftly, credibly, and justly—while the window for a livable future remains open.