This weekend, thousands of people took to the streets in 600 actions across 85+ countries in the global mobilisations called “Draw The Line,” demanding rights, jobs, justice, democracy, and a safe planet to live on.
On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, civil society groups are following up with an open letter to world leaders ahead of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ Climate Summit in New York, where countries are expected to present their updated national climate plans (NDCs).
Signed by 39 groups, the open letter reflects the collective civil society calls from the Draw the Line actions, stating:
“We call on countries with the greatest historical emissions and highest capacity to pay – and who have so far failed to do their fair share of global climate action – to include plans to equitably phase out fossil fuels and provide public finance for just transitions worldwide in their NDCs.”
By September 30, countries are required by the Paris Agreement to submit a 2035 emissions-reduction target, also known as National Determined Contribution (NDC). However, the general ambition is falling short of preventing worsening climate impacts that deepen inequalities and devastate communities, ecosystems, and economies.
The EU is likely to miss the deadline, while leadership is coming from emerging economies, positioning climate action as a route to resilience, investment and influence as opportunities open in global climate leadership.
Anne Jellema, Executive Director of 350.org, said: “Billions of people are already paying the price for the delay and denial of the biggest polluters. Governments must commit to phasing out fossil fuels and deliver the finance for a just transition. This is where we draw the line: Anything less is a betrayal of the Paris Agreement and of our shared future.”
Marginalised and vulnerable countries are bearing the heaviest burdens for a crisis they did not cause. The call from Draw The Line, adds Jellema, unites communities’ demands for urgent action from governments to end extractivism and stop fossil fuel expansion, deliver a fast, fair, funded, and just transition away from fossil fuels, address the injustices and inequalities driven by the current neoliberal and imperialist economic systems, and ensure a just transition to a world that protects life.