COP30: Climate Course Correction or Another Collision Course?
With 2024 confirmed as the hottest year ever on record, the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and the massive financial shortfalls left by lackluster negotiations at COP29, this year’s climate talks are pivotal.
With 2024 confirmed as the hottest year ever on record, the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and the massive financial shortfalls left by lackluster negotiations at COP29, this year’s climate talks are pivotal.
The IAEA Pavillion announces COP30 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC COP29) at Baku Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan on November 14, 2024.
(Photo by Dean Calma / IAEA)
Rachael Mellor
Nov 09, 2025
Nov 09, 2025
Common Dreams
The 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Belém, a remote, underdeveloped, and poor region of the Brazilian Amazon.
Delegates from over 190 countries, NGOs, Indigenous representatives, and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, alongside COP President André Corrêa do Lago, will all participate in this year’s high-stakes climate negotiations.
The 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Belém, a remote, underdeveloped, and poor region of the Brazilian Amazon.
Delegates from over 190 countries, NGOs, Indigenous representatives, and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, alongside COP President André Corrêa do Lago, will all participate in this year’s high-stakes climate negotiations.
Missed Targets and Weak Ambition: It’s Now or Never
With 2024 confirmed as the hottest year ever on record, the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and the massive financial shortfalls left by lackluster negotiations at COP29, this year’s climate talks are pivotal.
A 2024 report by the UN revealed that current policies put the planet on track to reach a catastrophic 3.1°C warming by 2100 (Emissions Gap Report). This scenario would expose 600 million people to flooding, reduce food yields by half, cause severe water shortages, lead to insurmountable habitat and biodiversity loss, create month-long brutal heatwaves and wildfires, heighten the risks of insect-borne diseases, and profoundly deepen inequalities.
Progress will be stalled unless the global climate investment gap can be closed and pledges are finally turned into real investments.
At last year’s summit, it was agreed that at least $1.3 trillion in annual climate finance would be mobilized for developing countries by 2035. This funding is intended to support a just transition to clean energy, climate adaptation policies, and addressing loss and damage from climate change.
Tackling the climate crisis is IMPOSSIBLE without adequate funding. Since President Donald Trump took office, at least $18 billion has been stripped from climate finance—6% of the new global $300 billion annual target. The current pace of financing is entirely insufficient to meet the agreed-upon goals.
At COP30, all members of the UNCCC are expected to publish their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), outlining their national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts.
The NDC Synthesis Report was released in October 2025, which, according to Melanie Robinson, global climate, economics, and finance program director for World Resources Institute, “lays bare a frightening gap between what governments have promised and what is needed to protect people and planet.”
Progress will be stalled unless the global climate investment gap can be closed and pledges are finally turned into real investments. This will prove even more difficult as militarization grips the planet. NATO has increased its spending commitments to an unprecedented 5% of GDP, and the EU Special Debts for Rearmament will further siphon money into warmongering, posturing, and weapons stockpiling.
A new initiative, the Global Ethical Stocktake, launched by the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, and the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, aims to integrate ethical considerations into climate negotiations, an aspect that has previously been omitted.
Jaded by a lack of action in previous COPs, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, along with other influential figures such as Mary Robinson and Christiana Figueres, labelled the current climate policy process “no longer fit for purpose.”
Finally, a COP President with Credentials: André Corrêa do Lago
This year’s COP president holds higher hopes than others. He is a veteran climate diplomat and serves as the current secretary for climate, energy, and environment at the Brazilian Ministry of External Affairs.
He has worked with Brazil’s diplomatic corps since 1982 and has represented Brazil in similar negotiations, including as chief negotiator at Rio+20, COP28, and COP29.
In a positive initial call to action, he has called on all stakeholders in the climate negotiations process to “act decisively in the face of climate urgency through an ambitious and integrated Action Agenda at COP30.”
A COP Built on Deforestation: Brazil Controversy
The location of this year’s climate summit is highly contentious. Destroying thousands of acres of rainforest to make way for a new four-lane highway, which is intended to ease congestion for COP visitors, is a blatant contradiction. This is the very environment Brazil has pledged to protect.
Rather than addressing the concerns, classic greenwashing terms like ‘sustainable“ are being used to describe the 8-mile road. Cutting through the Amazon rainforest, the road will fragment the ecosystem, disrupt the movement of wildlife, affect the livelihoods of local communities, and be inaccessible to those who live on either side of the highway. It will, however, have bike lanes and solar-powered lights!
The lack of infrastructure in the area means that more than 30 large-scale construction projects will be taking place to accommodate and prepare for the 50,000 expected visitors. The port is being redeveloped for cruise ships, and $81 million will be spent on expanding the airport to double its current capacity.
Emissions, emissions, emissions!
The expansion of the fossil fuel industry seriously contradicts the Brazilian government’s climate narrative and threatens the country’s credibility at COP30.
After three climate conferences in countries with restrictions on protests, Amazonian leaders and social movements are wary that their participation may be discounted and silenced. Since February, Indigenous groups have been occupying the Secretary of Education and blocking roads that cut through their territories. The protests have already begun.
Brazil is also no climate leader, but rather an empire built on oil. Its vast mining, fossil fuel, and agribusiness sectors mean that Brazil is responsible for more than 4% of total global emissions. In 2023, it emitted 2.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, making Brazil the world’s fifth worst polluter.
In this country of deep inequalities, the poor are disproportionately affected by climate change, including sea-level rise; heatwaves; and heavy, erratic rainfalls.
Just weeks before the conference begins, a new bill to dismantle Brazil’s environmental license framework was passed. It eases restrictions on oil exploration and road development in the Amazon. A self-licensing process enables fossil fuel and construction companies to act with impunity and avoid the need for impact studies and mitigation measures.
Immediately after the bill change, Petrobras, the country’s majority state-owned, scandal-ridden oil company, began drilling for oil a mere 200 miles away from Belém. The license was previously denied due to the risk of widespread biodiversity loss in this fragile ecosystem in the event of a spill. A new report reveals that since 2024, big banks have provided $2 billion in new financing for oil and gas in the Amazon.
Estimates suggest that up to 60 billion barrels of oil may exist in the Brazilian Amazon. If burned, they could emit 24 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide—more than Brazil’s emissions over the past 11 years. The expansion of the fossil fuel industry seriously contradicts the Brazilian government’s climate narrative and threatens the country’s credibility at COP30.
Good COP, Bad COP
“Climate is our biggest war,” said Ana Toni, chief executive of COP30.
Hopes are high. Expectations are low. Change is happening, it is just painfully slow.
We need this to be the “delivery COP.” One thing is for sure, COP30 will be make or break for people, our precious flora and fauna, and our planet as a whole.
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Rachael Mellor
Rachael is a key writer for the nonprofit platform Better World Info, which focuses on global issues such as peace, human rights, environment, and social justice. Her articles are also published in The Transnational and Peace News. Follow her work at www.betterworld.info and @BetterWorldInfo.
Full Bio >
COP30: Indigenous peoples vital to humanity’s future, Brazilian minister tells AFP
By AFP
November 8, 2025
Indigenous activists protested in Brasilia on October 14 during the pre-COP30 preparatory meeting - Copyright AFP/File Sergio Lima
Louis GENOT
At COP30 in Belem, in Brazil’s Amazon region, the country’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, hopes Indigenous peoples will play a leading role in the international climate conference that begins Monday.
Without them, “there is no future for humanity,” she told AFP in an interview.
Guajajara, a member of the Guajajara-Tenetehara ethnic group who was born in an Indigenous reserve in Maranhao state, is the first person to hold the portfolio created by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva when he returned to power in 2023.
On the eve of the UN climate conference, Guajajara, 51, anticipates “the best COP in terms of Indigenous participation,” but denounces the “racism” suffered by Indigenous peoples.
She laments that Brazil’s government has not been able to approve more Indigenous reserves.
According to the minister, this effort has been hindered by a law passed by the predominantly conservative parliament, which restricts the recognition of lands that belong to Indigenous peoples.
Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, is home to 1.7 million Indigenous people, divided into 391 ethnic groups speaking 295 languages, out of a total population of over 200 million.
QUESTION: Do you think that the fact that the COP is taking place in the Amazon for the first time will help change the way the general public sees Indigenous peoples?
ANSWER: There is a great deal of ignorance, a great deal of racism, a significant lack of understanding in society as a whole about Indigenous peoples. There is a lack of knowledge about the reality in which these Indigenous peoples live.
The COP can contribute significantly to greater understanding and interest from society as a whole regarding Indigenous peoples — especially regarding the role that Indigenous peoples and Indigenous territories play in maintaining climate balance.
It has been proven that the presence of Indigenous peoples, whether in demarcated territories or not, ensures clean water, protected biodiversity, pesticide-free food, and standing forests.
And all of this is what humanity needs to continue to exist. Therefore, we say, without Indigenous peoples, without these voices, there is no future for humanity.
Q: How have you seen the representation of Indigenous peoples evolve in climate discussions?
A: A COP in the Amazon needs to consider the voices of Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and all those who have always faced great difficulty in reaching where the COP takes place.
In 2009, when I participated in my first COP, which was COP15 in Copenhagen, there was one or two Indigenous individuals present, but they were not participating. Since then, we have been working on building this inclusion, increasing representation, and creating spaces for dialogue.
From then until now, there has been tremendous progress. I was very excited to participate in the summit of presidents, during the launch of the TFFF (the Tropical Forest Forever Fund), as well as the session addressing the topic of climate and nature.
Of course, there is still much to be done for countries to ensure this leadership. In both moments, all the presidents who spoke emphasized the importance of including Indigenous peoples, ensuring funding for Indigenous communities, and guaranteeing the protection of Indigenous peoples and territories.
– ‘Guardians of the forest’ –
Q: What is the impact of climate change on Indigenous peoples?
A: The changes are already being felt in various ways in Indigenous territories, on the outskirts of large cities, through major floods and severe droughts. Any of these factors directly affect daily life.
Although there is already recognition that we, Indigenous peoples, are the greatest guardians of the forest, the environment, and biodiversity due to our way of life, we are the first and most impacted.
Because when there is a flood, for example, it affects food security, when fish die, when water is contaminated, when there is drought, roads become inaccessible, as rivers are also a means of transportation for us.
It affects schools, when children cannot move from one place to another to attend school, it affects education.
Four Brazilians to watch at COP30
By AFP
November 8, 2025
A woman walks past a banner with the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference logo outside the Hangar Convention and Exhibition Center in Belem, Para State, Brazil on November 5, 2025 - Copyright AFP Pablo PORCIUNCULA
Facundo Fernández Barrio
Influential Brazilians, from government figures to Indigenous activists, will take center stage during UN climate talks starting Monday in the Amazon.
Here are some key Brazilians to watch at the conference, running November 10–21 in the city of Belem.
– Marina Silva –
Brazil’s 67-year-old environment minister is internationally recognized for her lifelong advocacy for the environment and preservation of the planet’s largest tropical forest.
Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva has come to symbolize the tensions within Brazil’s government over the uneasy coexistence between developmental pragmatism and protecting the environment – Copyright AFP/File Evaristo Sa
Raised on a rubber plantation in the Amazon, Silva often cites her grandmother and a shaman uncle as early influences that shaped her love for the forest.
In 2008, she resigned from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government during his second term as the two clashed over her environmental agenda.
She returned to his government in 2023 and is in a tricky position as Brazil recently approved plans, backed by Lula, for expanded oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon River.
“We all live with contradictions, and these contradictions must be managed,” she said ahead of the climate conference.
Silva was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people of 2024, hailed for her “deeply grounded courage and unflinching tenacity.”
– Carlos Nobre –
After decades studying the Amazon and global warming, Brazilian meteorologist Carlos Nobre is an international authority on climate.
He was a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for highlighting environmental threats.
“Populists and climate deniers, like US President Donald Trump and our former president Jair Bolsonaro, adopt positions that contain enormous climate risk,” the 74-year-old told AFP.
For 30 years, he has warned that deforestation is steadily bringing the Amazon closer to the “point of no return,” when the tropical rainforest — which plays a crucial role in absorbing greenhouse gases largely responsible for global warming — will transform into savannah.
He believes that with strong environmental policies, Brazil could not only halt degradation but become one of the first major emitters to meet Paris Agreement targets.
“Brazil has all the conditions to lead the energy transition,” he said.
– Txai Surui –
In 2021, aged just 24, Indigenous activist Txai Surui addressed the world at COP26 in Scotland in traditional clothing and bearing a powerful message.
“The Earth is speaking and she tells us that we have no more time,” she said.
This year, she was appointed one of several young climate advisors to the UN secretary-general.
About 1.7 million Indigenous people live in Brazil, some in protected areas covering one-seventh of the country.
Preserving these territories has been proven to reduce deforestation.
Txai is the daughter of a chief and an environmental activist, the couple known for their longtime battle to defend traditional lands in the northwestern Amazon.
She founded an Indigenous youth movement in the region and in 2021, she and other young climate activists sued the Brazilian government for a “carbon trick maneuver” they said allowed it to emit more greenhouse gases than it should.
– Fafa de Belem –
Belem, the COP30 host city, is also the birthplace of Fafa de Belem, 69, one of the great female voices of Brazilian music and an activist for the Amazon.
Maria de Fatima Palha de Figueiredo, known by her stage name Fafa de Belem, has recorded 30 albums and sold millions.
She will perform at COP30, while keeping a keen eye on negotiations.
Fafa told AFP she hopes the people of the Amazon will be “at the center of the decisions.”
After being outraged by the absence of representatives from the Amazon at a climate action meeting in New York three years ago, Fafa founded the Varanda da Amazonia (Veranda of the Amazon) debate forum.
“When we talk about climate change, we talk about data, graphs and scientific reports. These are fundamental but don’t always reach people’s hearts: art creates that bridge,” the singer told AFP.
By AFP
November 8, 2025
A woman walks past a banner with the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference logo outside the Hangar Convention and Exhibition Center in Belem, Para State, Brazil on November 5, 2025 - Copyright AFP Pablo PORCIUNCULA
Facundo Fernández Barrio
Influential Brazilians, from government figures to Indigenous activists, will take center stage during UN climate talks starting Monday in the Amazon.
Here are some key Brazilians to watch at the conference, running November 10–21 in the city of Belem.
– Marina Silva –
Brazil’s 67-year-old environment minister is internationally recognized for her lifelong advocacy for the environment and preservation of the planet’s largest tropical forest.
Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva has come to symbolize the tensions within Brazil’s government over the uneasy coexistence between developmental pragmatism and protecting the environment – Copyright AFP/File Evaristo Sa
Raised on a rubber plantation in the Amazon, Silva often cites her grandmother and a shaman uncle as early influences that shaped her love for the forest.
In 2008, she resigned from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government during his second term as the two clashed over her environmental agenda.
She returned to his government in 2023 and is in a tricky position as Brazil recently approved plans, backed by Lula, for expanded oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon River.
“We all live with contradictions, and these contradictions must be managed,” she said ahead of the climate conference.
Silva was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people of 2024, hailed for her “deeply grounded courage and unflinching tenacity.”
– Carlos Nobre –
After decades studying the Amazon and global warming, Brazilian meteorologist Carlos Nobre is an international authority on climate.
He was a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for highlighting environmental threats.
“Populists and climate deniers, like US President Donald Trump and our former president Jair Bolsonaro, adopt positions that contain enormous climate risk,” the 74-year-old told AFP.
For 30 years, he has warned that deforestation is steadily bringing the Amazon closer to the “point of no return,” when the tropical rainforest — which plays a crucial role in absorbing greenhouse gases largely responsible for global warming — will transform into savannah.
He believes that with strong environmental policies, Brazil could not only halt degradation but become one of the first major emitters to meet Paris Agreement targets.
“Brazil has all the conditions to lead the energy transition,” he said.
– Txai Surui –
In 2021, aged just 24, Indigenous activist Txai Surui addressed the world at COP26 in Scotland in traditional clothing and bearing a powerful message.
“The Earth is speaking and she tells us that we have no more time,” she said.
This year, she was appointed one of several young climate advisors to the UN secretary-general.
About 1.7 million Indigenous people live in Brazil, some in protected areas covering one-seventh of the country.
Preserving these territories has been proven to reduce deforestation.
Txai is the daughter of a chief and an environmental activist, the couple known for their longtime battle to defend traditional lands in the northwestern Amazon.
She founded an Indigenous youth movement in the region and in 2021, she and other young climate activists sued the Brazilian government for a “carbon trick maneuver” they said allowed it to emit more greenhouse gases than it should.
– Fafa de Belem –
Belem, the COP30 host city, is also the birthplace of Fafa de Belem, 69, one of the great female voices of Brazilian music and an activist for the Amazon.
Maria de Fatima Palha de Figueiredo, known by her stage name Fafa de Belem, has recorded 30 albums and sold millions.
She will perform at COP30, while keeping a keen eye on negotiations.
Fafa told AFP she hopes the people of the Amazon will be “at the center of the decisions.”
After being outraged by the absence of representatives from the Amazon at a climate action meeting in New York three years ago, Fafa founded the Varanda da Amazonia (Veranda of the Amazon) debate forum.
“When we talk about climate change, we talk about data, graphs and scientific reports. These are fundamental but don’t always reach people’s hearts: art creates that bridge,” the singer told AFP.
COP30: ‘A Real Opening for Quicker Progress’
Why it’s not all bad news for Bill McKibben regarding the climate crisis. Five questions to one of the leading environmentalists in the US.
Solar panels stretch out under the sun.
(Photo by Getty Images)
David Goessmann
Bill Mckibben
Nov 09, 2025
Common Dreams
From November 10 to 21, the 30th Climate Change Conference, known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP, will take place in Belém, Brazil. Despite decades of climate diplomacy and many promises, annual greenhouse gas emissions have not only failed to be halted, but have continued to rise as the climate crisis worsens. The goal of keeping global warming below 1.5°C is already unattainable.
David Goeßmann: Why have the conferences failed, and what do you expect from the upcoming summit?
Ahead of COP30, UN Report Shows 1.5°C Will Be Breached as Countries Pledge Just 10% Emissions Cut
Amnesty Urges COP30 Attendees to ‘Resist Aligning With’ Trump Climate Crisis Denial
Bill McKibben: Look, climate change is a tough problem. It’s caused by the same thing—fossil fuel—that undergirds the economy, and the fossil fuel industry is strong enough politically in many countries to make change hard (see America). But, as of the last few years, the price of solar and wind energy has fallen far enough that we have a real opening for quicker progress. I think that will start to be reflected in various national strategies.
David Goeßmann: US President Donald Trump has reversed the steps toward an energy transition initiated under the Biden administration, attacked all environmental protection, withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, and issued more than 300 new oil and gas drilling permits. That’s the bad news. Is there any good news?
It’s easier to get politicians to say yes to clean energy than no to dirty energy.
Bill McKibben: At the state level progress continues—Texas is the biggest clean energy player now. But it’s not enough to offset the federal headwinds, so we’re all fighting back as hard as we can.
David Goeßmann: How do you assess the climate movements worldwide? What are the strategies that should be focused on now?
Bill McKibben: I think the greatest possibility probably lies in the popularity and affordability of clean energy. It’s easier to get politicians to say yes to clean energy than no to dirty energy (though both require hard work).
David Goeßmann: You talk about a “silent revolution” in terms of the global energy transition. What is driving it?
Bill McKibben: The cost of sun and wind power, and of batteries. These are supplying a third more power to the world this autumn than last. It took us 70 years to get the first terawatt of solar power, two years to get the second, and the third is now coming even faster.
David Goeßmann: You have been fighting for climate protection for decades. What gives you the hope and strength to continue?
Bill McKibben: Hey, lots of people are suffering badly, mostly in places that did nothing to cause climate change. If they can keep fighting, I guess I can too!
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
David Goessmann
David Goeßmann is a journalist and author based in Berlin, Germany. He has worked for several media outlets including Spiegel Online, ARD, and ZDF. His articles appeared on Truthout, Common Dreams, The Progressive or Progressive International. In his books he analyzes climate policies, global justice, and media bias.
Full Bio >
Bill Mckibben
Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org and ThirdAct.org. His most recent book is "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?." He also authored "The End of Nature," "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet," and "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future."
Full Bio >
Why it’s not all bad news for Bill McKibben regarding the climate crisis. Five questions to one of the leading environmentalists in the US.
Solar panels stretch out under the sun.
(Photo by Getty Images)
David Goessmann
Bill Mckibben
Nov 09, 2025
Common Dreams
From November 10 to 21, the 30th Climate Change Conference, known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP, will take place in Belém, Brazil. Despite decades of climate diplomacy and many promises, annual greenhouse gas emissions have not only failed to be halted, but have continued to rise as the climate crisis worsens. The goal of keeping global warming below 1.5°C is already unattainable.
David Goeßmann: Why have the conferences failed, and what do you expect from the upcoming summit?
Ahead of COP30, UN Report Shows 1.5°C Will Be Breached as Countries Pledge Just 10% Emissions Cut
Amnesty Urges COP30 Attendees to ‘Resist Aligning With’ Trump Climate Crisis Denial
Bill McKibben: Look, climate change is a tough problem. It’s caused by the same thing—fossil fuel—that undergirds the economy, and the fossil fuel industry is strong enough politically in many countries to make change hard (see America). But, as of the last few years, the price of solar and wind energy has fallen far enough that we have a real opening for quicker progress. I think that will start to be reflected in various national strategies.
David Goeßmann: US President Donald Trump has reversed the steps toward an energy transition initiated under the Biden administration, attacked all environmental protection, withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, and issued more than 300 new oil and gas drilling permits. That’s the bad news. Is there any good news?
It’s easier to get politicians to say yes to clean energy than no to dirty energy.
Bill McKibben: At the state level progress continues—Texas is the biggest clean energy player now. But it’s not enough to offset the federal headwinds, so we’re all fighting back as hard as we can.
David Goeßmann: How do you assess the climate movements worldwide? What are the strategies that should be focused on now?
Bill McKibben: I think the greatest possibility probably lies in the popularity and affordability of clean energy. It’s easier to get politicians to say yes to clean energy than no to dirty energy (though both require hard work).
David Goeßmann: You talk about a “silent revolution” in terms of the global energy transition. What is driving it?
Bill McKibben: The cost of sun and wind power, and of batteries. These are supplying a third more power to the world this autumn than last. It took us 70 years to get the first terawatt of solar power, two years to get the second, and the third is now coming even faster.
David Goeßmann: You have been fighting for climate protection for decades. What gives you the hope and strength to continue?
Bill McKibben: Hey, lots of people are suffering badly, mostly in places that did nothing to cause climate change. If they can keep fighting, I guess I can too!
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
David Goessmann
David Goeßmann is a journalist and author based in Berlin, Germany. He has worked for several media outlets including Spiegel Online, ARD, and ZDF. His articles appeared on Truthout, Common Dreams, The Progressive or Progressive International. In his books he analyzes climate policies, global justice, and media bias.
Full Bio >
Bill Mckibben
Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org and ThirdAct.org. His most recent book is "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?." He also authored "The End of Nature," "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet," and "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future."
Full Bio >
COP30 Takes Off in Brazil, Aims to Prevent ‘Climate Collapse
The meeting has been filled with warnings and urgent calls to action from more than 50 heads of state.
Over 50 world leaders gather in Belem, Brazil for COP30 this month. Photo: Lula/X
On November 6, COP30 began in Brazil, a United Nations meeting attended by nearly 50 world leaders to address the most pressing issues of climate change. The meeting is being held in Belem, a city located in the Amazon, one of the regions most affected and threatened by climate change.
Brazilian head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is hosting a conference that aims to promote an agenda already agreed upon in the Paris Agreement which, according to the president, has not yet been fulfilled by the nearly 195 signatory countries. To this end, the meeting of world leaders will consist of three working groups (climate and nature; energy transition; and review of the Paris Agreement), in addition to a plenary session.
Lula demands real change
In his opening speech, Lula urged world leaders to fulfill their environmental and financial commitments to projects that combat climate change, which he said has caused a 1.5 degree Celsius increase above pre-industrial levels: “COP30 will be the COP of truth. It is time to take the warning from science seriously. The time has come to face reality. Accelerating the energy transition and protecting nature are the two most effective ways to combat global warming.”
In addition, Lula called for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, increased climate financing, and a just energy transition (primarily for countries in the Global South that suffer most severely from the consequences of climate change) before, he said, temperatures rise by 2.5 degrees by 2026.
“We must embrace a new model of development that is fairer, more resilient, and low-carbon … More than 250,000 people could die each year from causes related to climate change. This is not a distant threat: it is already happening in our communities. We live in a scenario of insecurity and mutual distrust, where immediate interests take precedence over our common future.”
During his administration, Lula has made significant efforts to halt the brutal deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon. Last month, deforestation in Brazil reached its lowest levels in 11 years. However, several activists have criticized other actions taken by the Brazilian government, such as the opening of oil wells at the mouth of the Amazon River, the longest and largest river in the world (it has more water than the Mississippi, Yangtze, and Nile rivers combined), and home to the world’s largest river basin.
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump: the notable absentees
Although the event included the heads of state of highly influential countries such as Emmanuel Macron (France), Friedrich Merz (Germany), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Pedro Sánchez (Spain), and Kier Starmer (UK), among others, the absence of the presidents of China and the United States, the two most important economic powers in the world and also the most polluting, is striking.
Both Donald Trump and Xi Jinping declined Lula da Silva’s invitation, and some have interpreted their absence as a tacit statement that neither Beijing nor Washington will sign commitments that could interfere with their economic development projects, which could essentially compromise the intentions of COP30 when considering the production volume of both economic giants.
“Moral failure and deadly negligence”
Regarding Donald Trump’s absence, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said: “[Donald Trump’s absence] represents a denial of science, leading his society into the abyss, and with it the rest of humanity. Mr. Trump is wrong. Science predicts collapse if the US does not move towards decarbonizing its economy.”
Petro also criticized Europe’s enormous spending on weapons rather than transforming its productive matrix: “That is Europe’s mistake. It is not a defense and security issue. Russia is not the enemy; the climate crisis is the enemy. It is your grandchildren, prime ministers and presidents of Europe, who are at risk, as are all the sons and daughters of European civilization and of humanity as a whole.”
Petro also pointed out that the world is no longer just undergoing climate change, but is also approaching a “climate collapse that means a point of no return, that is, the general death of life on the planet. This is not a fictional apocalypse; it is a real apocalypse.”
The secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres, maintained the same tone of severity and alarm in his speech: “Even a temporary overshoot [of 1.5 degrees] will have dramatic consequences. It could push ecosystems beyond irreversible tipping points, expose billions of people to unlivable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security. Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement, and loss, especially for those who are least responsible [for climate change]. This is moral failure and deadly negligence!”
For his part, Pope Leo XIV sent a statement to COP30 calling for “care for [God’s] creation” and greater investment in nature conservation. While governments’ attention is focused on wars and conflicts, peace is threatened “by a lack of proper respect for creation, by the plundering of natural resources, and by a progressive deterioration in the quality of life due to climate change. These challenges endanger the lives of everyone on this planet,” he said, “and therefore require international cooperation and cohesive, forward-looking multilateralism,” the pontiff said.
Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch
Published November 8, 2025
DAWN
The writer is chief executive of the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change.
THE Conference of the Parties (COP) emerged under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Its purpose was clear yet ambitious: to provide a multilateral forum where nations could collectively agree on measures to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations and prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
The early years of the COP process reflected a sense of optimism. The Kyoto Protocol (1997) represented the first legally binding framework, committing industrialised countries to emission reductions. However, the absence of major emitters like the United States and the lack of commitments from developing countries weakened its implementation. The Copenhagen Summit (2009) exposed deep fractures between the developed and developing world over responsibility, finance, and fairness and marked a turning point in the politics of climate diplomacy.
This tension between collective ambition and national interest has defined every COP since. Despite a shared understanding that no single nation can solve the climate crisis alone, each negotiation cycle has been mired in differing historical responsibilities, domestic economic priorities and conflicting definitions of ‘justice’ and ‘equity’.
At the heart of climate diplomacy lies a paradox that explains why a universally accepted agreement remains elusive in achieving its objective: the countries that are most responsible for climate change are not the ones most vulnerable to its effects. Industrialised nations built their wealth on fossil fuels, while developing countries like Pakistan now bear the brunt of resulting climate impacts of floods, droughts, glacial melt and food insecurity with limited capacity to adapt. Efforts to reach universal consensus are stymied by this historical imbalance. The North-South divide manifests in three recurring areas of contention:
Responsibility and burden-sharing: Developed countries resist strong language on liability and compensation, while developing countries demand recognition of loss and damage as a matter of climate justice.
The COP process has evolved or devolved into what many observers now describe as a ‘climate fair’.
Finance: Despite pledges, the promise on climate finance has not been fully delivered, and falls far short of need.
Ambition gap: Many countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions remain insufficient to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The gap between pledges and implementation continues to widen. While the COP remains a vital arena for dialogue, its consensus-based decision-making model often leads to lowest-common-denominator outcomes with statements of intent rather than binding commitments.
The Paris Agreement (2015), celebrated as a diplomatic triumph for crafting a flexible, bottom-up framework, marked a shift from imposed obligations to voluntary pledges. Yet, a decade later, the reality is sobering. Global emissions continue to rise, and current trajectories point towards warming of around 2.7°C by the end of the century. Climate disasters from catastrophic floods in Pakistan to record heatwaves across Europe and droughts in the Horn of Africa underline that adaptation is no longer a distant concern but an immediate survival challenge.
Meanwhile, the COP process itself has evolved or devolved into what many observers now describe as a ‘climate fair’. Conference halls are crowded not only with negotiators but also with corporations, NGOs and lobbyists, all vying for visibility. While this diversity of actors fosters innovation and awareness, it has also blurred the focus.
The spectacle often overshadows substance and announcements frequently outnumber actual deliverables. The risk is that COPs have become a performative rather than transformative stage for declarations, not decisions. Real progress increasingly occurs in smaller coalitions or outside the formal UNFCCC framework, through initiatives such as climate finance partnerships, regional adaptation programmes, and private sector decarbonisation alliances.
For Pakistan, it is time to reframe its approach from normative attendance to strategic influence using COP not just as a diplomatic event but a platform for survival advocacy. To make its participation strategic, Pakistan should consider the following approach:
Adopt a justice-centred narrative framing its stance around climate justice and resilience through equity. Its experience as a climate front-line state gives moral authority to demand parity between adaptation and mitigation in global finance and policy.
The writer is chief executive of the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change.
THE Conference of the Parties (COP) emerged under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Its purpose was clear yet ambitious: to provide a multilateral forum where nations could collectively agree on measures to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations and prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
The early years of the COP process reflected a sense of optimism. The Kyoto Protocol (1997) represented the first legally binding framework, committing industrialised countries to emission reductions. However, the absence of major emitters like the United States and the lack of commitments from developing countries weakened its implementation. The Copenhagen Summit (2009) exposed deep fractures between the developed and developing world over responsibility, finance, and fairness and marked a turning point in the politics of climate diplomacy.
This tension between collective ambition and national interest has defined every COP since. Despite a shared understanding that no single nation can solve the climate crisis alone, each negotiation cycle has been mired in differing historical responsibilities, domestic economic priorities and conflicting definitions of ‘justice’ and ‘equity’.
At the heart of climate diplomacy lies a paradox that explains why a universally accepted agreement remains elusive in achieving its objective: the countries that are most responsible for climate change are not the ones most vulnerable to its effects. Industrialised nations built their wealth on fossil fuels, while developing countries like Pakistan now bear the brunt of resulting climate impacts of floods, droughts, glacial melt and food insecurity with limited capacity to adapt. Efforts to reach universal consensus are stymied by this historical imbalance. The North-South divide manifests in three recurring areas of contention:
Responsibility and burden-sharing: Developed countries resist strong language on liability and compensation, while developing countries demand recognition of loss and damage as a matter of climate justice.
The COP process has evolved or devolved into what many observers now describe as a ‘climate fair’.
Finance: Despite pledges, the promise on climate finance has not been fully delivered, and falls far short of need.
Ambition gap: Many countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions remain insufficient to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The gap between pledges and implementation continues to widen. While the COP remains a vital arena for dialogue, its consensus-based decision-making model often leads to lowest-common-denominator outcomes with statements of intent rather than binding commitments.
The Paris Agreement (2015), celebrated as a diplomatic triumph for crafting a flexible, bottom-up framework, marked a shift from imposed obligations to voluntary pledges. Yet, a decade later, the reality is sobering. Global emissions continue to rise, and current trajectories point towards warming of around 2.7°C by the end of the century. Climate disasters from catastrophic floods in Pakistan to record heatwaves across Europe and droughts in the Horn of Africa underline that adaptation is no longer a distant concern but an immediate survival challenge.
Meanwhile, the COP process itself has evolved or devolved into what many observers now describe as a ‘climate fair’. Conference halls are crowded not only with negotiators but also with corporations, NGOs and lobbyists, all vying for visibility. While this diversity of actors fosters innovation and awareness, it has also blurred the focus.
The spectacle often overshadows substance and announcements frequently outnumber actual deliverables. The risk is that COPs have become a performative rather than transformative stage for declarations, not decisions. Real progress increasingly occurs in smaller coalitions or outside the formal UNFCCC framework, through initiatives such as climate finance partnerships, regional adaptation programmes, and private sector decarbonisation alliances.
For Pakistan, it is time to reframe its approach from normative attendance to strategic influence using COP not just as a diplomatic event but a platform for survival advocacy. To make its participation strategic, Pakistan should consider the following approach:
Adopt a justice-centred narrative framing its stance around climate justice and resilience through equity. Its experience as a climate front-line state gives moral authority to demand parity between adaptation and mitigation in global finance and policy.
Lead on regional solidarity as part of the Third Pole region to champion a South-South cooperation framework focused on shared challenges, glacier melt, river basin management, and food and water security. Regional diplomacy around climate resilience could become a signature pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
Champion the loss and damage agenda for capitalisation — simplified access, grant-based finance and inclusion of local communities in rebuilding and adaptation planning.
Invest in science, storytelling, and strategy: negotiations are driven by data and diplomacy. Pakistan should strengthen its climate data infrastructure, empower young negotiators and amplify its stories of resilience, turning lived experiences into global advocacy tools.
Forge strategic partnerships: beyond government-to-government engagement, Pakistan can build alliances with global think tanks, civil society, and climate innovators to position itself as a thought leader on adaptation finance and resilience-building.
The journey from Kyoto to Paris, and now towards COP30, reveals both progress and paralysis in global climate diplomacy. While the world has learned to talk about climate change with unprecedented urgency, it has yet to act with equal conviction.
For Pakistan, participation in COP must transcend attendance. It should be about shaping narratives, mobilising alliances and asserting leadership among the Global South. By focusing its voice on justice, adaptation, and regional solidarity, Pakistan can not only safeguard its national interests but also contribute meaningfully to a fairer and more resilient global climate order.
aisha@csccc.org.pk
Published in Dawn, November 8th, 202
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