Nearly 70 of the world's leaders are in New York outlining their carbon emission reduction plans at a UN climate action summit, with the emphasis placed on action, not talk.
"This is not a climate talk summit. We have had enough talk," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the meeting on Monday.
Australia's progress towards meeting its commitment to cut emissions by 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 wasn't enough to qualify to speak at the event.
So which countries are leading the way on climate change action and why have five nations been for falling short?
India
It may seem strange to consider a country with the third-highest amount of carbon emissions and still commissioning new coal-fired plants to be considered one of the best on climate change action.
With his “need, not greed” approach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a keynote spot on a speaker list reserved for the most ambitious countries.
India is on track to meet or exceed its Paris Agreement targets, thanks in large part to a rapid uptake in renewable energy. 
A raft of initiatives has made India’s solar power the cheapest in the world. The second-most populous country has added a massive 20 gigawatts of solar capacity in the last few years and is on track to surpass its 2030 goal of sourcing 40 per cent of its energy needs from non-fossil-fuel power.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says his government is taking a "need, not greed" approach. Source: AAP
Norway
Norway has set the example when it comes to tackling emissions from its transport sector with battery electric vehicles now making up about a third of cars on the roads. It’s also increased investment railways and almost doubled spending on public transport projects.
The Scandinavian country has a target to cut emissions by 40 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030, more ambitious than other countries like Australia. Legislation enshrining the target also includes its aim to achieve “emissions neutrality” by 2030.
However, independent research website Climate Action Tracker found the country is only on track to reduce emissions by 7 per cent with policies already implemented and will need to step up action on industrial emissions, including less reliance on oil, to meet its targets.
Norway wants 100 per cent of new cars sold to be electric by 2035. Source: AAP
United Kingdom
Underpinning the United Kingdom’s decisions on national energy and industrial policy for more than a decade has been its Climate Change Act.
Passed almost unanimously in 2008, the legislation enshrines its long term target to reduce emissions by 80 per cent of 1990 levels and sets out a framework to achieve it, including phasing out coal and strengthening building efficiency standards.
It’s paying off, with the country already reducing its emissions by more than 40 per cent on 1990 levels. This year, the UK went a step further and enshrined its goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
New Zealand
Contributing just 0.17 per cent of global emissions, New Zealand may not be able to make a big difference on its own but it is determined to do its bit.
Following the UK’s model, New Zealand is trying to push a “Zero Carbon Bill” through Parliament to prepare for climate change and strengthen its emissions trading scheme.
At the summit, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared New Zealand would become “the most sustainable food producer in the world” by encouraging farmers to use technology to measure, manage and reduce their farm’s emissions.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the UN climate action summit in New York. Source: AAP
But Greenpeace New Zealand says Ms Ardern’s pledges are “nowhere near enough” calling for a commitment to end new fossil fuel exploration on land and at sea and wind down coal, oil and gas production.
Costa Rica
Another tiny country not letting size stop it from doing what it can on climate change is Costa Rica.
In February, the Central American nation released a detailed plan to achieve zero emissions by 2050, including converting its bus and taxi fleet to electric vehicles, halving the number of cars on the cities’ roads by 2040 and expanding its forests.
The government, which relies on oil revenue, also plans to phase out fossil fuels and replace the lost income with “green tax reform”.
Not on track
Greta Thunberg and 15 other young activists have filed a complaint at the UN against five countries for not doing enough to ward off global warming.
Aged between eight and 17, they accuse the five countries of violating children's rights by failing to take adequate and timely action against climate change. So where are those countries going wrong?
Argentina
According to the documents submitted by the young activists, Argentina is on track to overshoot its Paris Agreement targets by almost 70 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
The largest contributor is from the South American’s country’s energy sector, with the government continuing to subsidise fossil fuels while investing very little in renewable energy projects.
Brazil
Smoke rising from the fire at the Amazon forest in Novo Progresso. Source: Greenpeace
The country’s budget to tackle climate change has been slashed by 95 per cent while committees and groups related to the issue have been abolished.
France
While France has been vital to brokering international climate change agreements, the complainants allege that it failed to do enough in its own backyard.
The European nation has a target to decarbonise its economy by 2050, but has blown its carbon budget for 2015-2018 and is expected to go over again, requiring more drastic cuts to meet the target in future.
The complaint notes that if the current policies remain in place, France is on track to produce 395 million tonnes in 2030 which is 10 times what its “fair share” would be if the world has any hope of keeping global warming to under 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Germany
Germany has overshot its domestic targets to reduce emissions by 40 per cent based on 1990 levels by next year. Coal power generation and rising transport emissions have been blamed for falling short of the 2020 goal by 8 per cent. That’s raised doubts about its ability to meet future goals.
But the European leader is taking bold action, announcing plans to phase out coal, which accounts for about 40 per cent of the energy mix, by 2038.
In a hard-won compromise struck earlier this year, regions affected by the phase-out will be compensated and support for renewable energy. Despite the historic agreement, it’s been criticised for setting the deadline too late.
Germany plans to phase out coal-fired power plants by 2038. Source: AAP
Turkey
Turkey signed but has not yet ratified the Paris Agreement. In the meantime, emissions have been rising each year and the government continues to support the fossil fuel industry.
Speaking at the UN climate action summit, President Recep Erdogan defended the country’s record and highlighted the increase in renewable resources and replacement of coal with natural gas in 81 provinces.
The country is also building new subway lines and has planted more than 4 billion trees in the past 17 years.
