COP30 Begins in Brazil with Renewed Push to Deliver on Climate Pledges

The 30th conference of the parties (COP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened on November 10 in Belem, Brazil, against the backdrop of mounting global pressure to accelerate emissions cuts and finance climate action. Over the next two weeks, negotiators from nearly 200 countries will seek to rebuild trust in the UN-led process of global climate negotiations.

By hosting the summit in the Amazonian city of Belem, Brazil aims to spotlight the world’s forests that remain targets of logging and face ongoing threats from agriculture, mining and fossil fuel extraction.

What is COP?

The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC. It serves as a global platform where member countries review the implementation of the Convention and related legal instruments, and take decisions to promote the implementation of the Convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements to combat climate change.

Held annually, COP brings together world leaders, negotiators and stakeholders from around the world to discuss ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate impacts and mobilise finance for vulnerable nations. Its most recognised outcomes are the adoption of long-term climate goals and legally binding agreements to curb carbon emissions.

Beyond drafting agreements, COP holds countries accountable for their climate commitments, reflecting the understanding that climate change is a global issue and individual countries cannot solve it alone.

Why Climate Action Matters

Climate change is already impacting countries across the world. As its impacts intensify, it brings with it rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events and a range of social, economic, and environmental challenges.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body that evaluates climate science, has warned that human activities have already raised global temperatures by approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial period. Without urgent action, the world is on course to reach or surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. The US Geological Survey also notes that rising global temperatures increase the possibility of droughts, intensity of storms and ecosystem loss.

In this context, COP plays a critical role in catalysing collective action. The agreements forged during these annual summits can influence national policies, international financial flows and the future trajectory of the global economy.

Previous COP meetings have already had an impact on the ground. The Paris Agreement, adopted at COP21 in 2015, marked a historic milestone.

Under this legally binding accord, 195 countries agreed to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, with an aspiration to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Each country also committed to setting its own climate goals, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and to increase their ambition over time. The agreement also emphasised the importance of financial support from developed countries to help developing nations mitigate and adapt to climate change.

According to The Guardian, this year’s updated NDCs were expected to align with the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, following repeated warnings by scientists. Although the initial submission deadline was set for February, only a handful of countries met it. The UN later announced that it would welcome submissions ahead of COP30 instead.

Last year’s COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, focused on climate finance, particularly on how much support developed countries should extend to developing ones. The conference concluded on a disappointing note, with a pledge of $300bn, a fraction of the $1.3trn target. While this pledge tripled the earlier $100bn annual target first agreed on at COP15 in 2009 and fulfilled in 2022, it still fell well below the scale of assistance required.