A coalition of economic leaders called has urged global  governments to revise their climate targets.

“Mission 2025” has been created by leaders across the world and includes mayors, governors, CEOs, investors and citizens using its launch to tell governments to align their upcoming national climate plans with the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

It comes less than a year ahead of a crucial February 2025 deadline, when countries are required to submit enhanced climate plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions) to the United Nations for the period 2025-2035.

Mission 2025’s statement is supported by leading firms including Iberdrola, Ingka Group / IKEA, Unilever, 2150, Octopus EV and co-signed by the heads of The B Team, C2ES, C40 Cities, CDP, Climate Crisis Advisory Group, Climate Group, Club of Rome, E3G, ECF, Green Africa Youth Organisation, WBCSD, We Are Family Foundation, We Mean Business Coalition, World Climate Foundation.

In a statement they said: “We are ready to embolden governments to set more ambitious plans and accelerate implementation. We know this can unlock trillions in private investment to protect our nature, scale cheap renewable energy, support industries to compete in a low carbon economy, and safeguard living standards equitably for our people.”

The organisations emphasise that governments can be emboldened based on rapid progress underway towards a 1.5°C-aligned economy – an argument bolstered by new data from the Net Zero Tracker. The climate research consortium stated that more than two-thirds of annual revenues ($31 trillion) across the world’s largest companies are now aligned with net zero, representing an increase of 45% in just two years . Alongside this alignment, there are signs also of increasing net zero robustness, with WBCSD reporting that 55 companies (with revenues of over $4.4 trillion) have published transition plans consistent with the science-based pathways of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

Mission 2025 highlighted analysis by the Energy Transitions Commission, showing that rapidly falling costs of clean technologies and proven feasibility of other solutions mean that countries can collectively almost triple ambition – and bring the world on a 2°C pathway – merely by factoring in the commitments made and progress achieved since previous plans were submitted in 2021.

Christiana Figueres, Co-Founder Global Optimism said: ”The launch of Mission 2025 is a clear rebuttal to everyone claiming that moving faster on tackling the climate crisis is too difficult, too unpopular or too expensive. The ambition expressed by the Mayors, investors and businesses in this coalition should give governments the confidence to bring their 2025 climate plans in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.”

Simon Stiell, executive secretary UN Climate Change added: “The chorus of business leaders, investors and mayors calling for more ambition in economy-wide national climate plans is growing louder and clearer, as global decarbonization gathers pace. It shows real economy actors are eagerly awaiting the bolder policy signals that will enable them to move faster, invest much more, and help ensure NDCs 3.0 fulfil their full potential as blueprints for stronger economies and fairer societies, particularly when supported by adequate finance.”

Unilever CEO, Hein Schumacher, said: “Tackling climate change is a whole economy effort. Governments that create ambitious national climate plans  – aligned with 1.5°C – will mobilize their economy to decarbonise whilst unleashing new opportunities for growth.”

“75 percent of C40 cities are slashing per capita emissions faster than their respective national governments and all C40 members have action plans to align their economies with 1.5 degrees as a condition of membership,” added Mark Watts, executive director C40 Cities. “This is the path to future shared prosperity, creating millions of good, green jobs and charting a just transition out of the inequality and pollution of the fossil fuel era. We urge governments to grasp the opportunity to create plans aligned with 1.5°C, and to make these shared national targets by meaningfully partnering with local and regional governments, philanthropy, businesses, trade unions and civil society to deliver them.”