Heis an important summit that opens this Monday, November 10, in Belém, Brazil. As of Friday, November 21, many international leaders are meeting at the 30th annual United Nations Conference on Climate Change, known as COP30.
As always, the aim is to agree on joint efforts to combat global warming, a problem that is recognized as global and can only be solved on a collective scale. Despite significant progress in recent years, global emissions remain high and financial commitments are insufficient to control climate change.
Review the +1.5°C goal
Ten years ago, an ambitious goal, akin to a last-chance one, was set in Paris: to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of limiting global warming to 2°C this century compared to pre-industrial levels, while making every effort not to exceed 1.5°C.
COP30 will be the first meeting to officially acknowledge these failures. Despite years of negotiations, commitments and summits, greenhouse gas emissions have increased by a third since the first COP in 1995, fossil fuel consumption continues to rise and global temperatures are on track to pass thresholds that scientists say will cause major damage to the planet.
“Yes, these conventions have produced positive results, but they are not enough to guarantee the promise of life on Earth,” said Juan Carlos Monterrey, Panama’s delegate for climate change and head of an initiative to simplify key environmental agreements.
READ ALSO Ecological transition: The Court of Auditors gets lost in the administrative inventory “There will be an energy surplus, and that is very regrettable,” said James Fletcher, climate representative for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and former Saint Lucia Energy Minister, in an interview. “Any excess of 1.5°C would be catastrophic for small island developing states,” he added.
After the first progress report five years ago, the signatory countries of the agreement will again carry out evaluations during the two weeks of this COP. And there is reason to be afraid: according to the Climate Action Tracker website, only Norway and the UK have submitted satisfactory plans to reduce greenhouse gases. Additionally, at least nine countries have not submitted any plans. The European Union’s goal is 2035, ten years later than originally planned.
Highlight vulnerable populations
With its rotating presidency, Brazil decided to highlight, among its agenda, vulnerable groups, such as indigenous peoples, some of whom participated in the negotiations. A people “fighting for the recognition and protection of their territory, for the survival of themselves and their culture, while facing violence and serious danger every day”, wrote Greenpeace, noting that these people “often led this struggle at the risk of their lives”, their representatives faced “threats, violence and expulsion”.
“Despite representing only 6% of the world’s population, they protect and manage hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, which constitutes the vast majority of surviving biodiversity,” said Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples. “The evidence is clear: if indigenous peoples’ rights to their territories are respected, deforestation will decrease; if these rights are ignored, the destruction will worsen,” he wrote in a statement.
Like what Brazil has done in the past, especially with the creation of this ministry, COP30 aims to give more importance to this population. Sonia Guajajara also invited countries to include traditional leaders in national delegations. “The protection of indigenous territories is not only a matter of historical improvement, but also of the survival of the planet,” he concluded.
Making tropical forests the center of attention again
Brazil also aimed to put the importance of tropical forests at the center of the discussion, so it chose the city of Belem, located in the heart of the Amazon. The country intends to launch a fund aimed at protecting these natural spaces. Called the Forever Tropical Forest Facility (TFFF), this facility aims to pay countries that have tropical forests, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Indonesia, so that they can protect these areas.
During the summit, President Lula hopes to convince industrialized countries to pledge contributions of $10 billion to the International Fund for Tropical Forest Conservation, the creation of which his government announced ahead of COP30. China, Norway and Germany are expected to announce their contributions after pledging Brazil’s first investment worth billions of dollars. However, Lula has received rejection from England. If he helps set up the project, he said Wednesday he would not give any money.
At least 20% of payments, based on conservation and restoration performance, are intended for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, according to the TFFF official website.
Do it without the United States
The negotiations took place without the United States. The White House confirmed that it would not send senior officials to the annual summit, noting that President Donald Trump had outlined his position at the UN General Assembly in September, calling climate change “the world’s biggest fraud.”
However, the United States remains open to sending negotiators at any time during the discussions, before the United States officially withdraws from the Paris agreement in January. “President Donald Trump will not jeopardize our country’s economic and national security to achieve vague climate goals that hinder other countries,” White House press secretary Taylor Rogers told Reuters.
Therefore, the country has moved away from its leadership role on climate issues. China, Brazil and other developing countries are now taking a more central position.
For Europe, maintain its credibility
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In the absence of the United States, the European Union must maintain its position. At the beginning of this week, after tough negotiations, the 27 countries finally agreed on the goals for 2035 and 2040. Thus, Europe has barely achieved its climate goal for 2040: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90% compared to 1990. But with a lot of “flexibility” that allows France, Italy, Romania and even Poland to achieve the goal without spending a lot of money. their competitiveness.
Eventually, a delicate balance emerged: 5% of “high quality” international credit, or a real domestic reduction of 85% instead of 90%. But with two big concessions to make things easier: a “pilot phase” from 2031 to 2035 as well as a review clause in 2030 with a fairly complex architecture.
