COP30 President Vows to Defend Global Climate Fight
AFP/APP
Berlin: Brazil’s UN COP30 president on Tuesday pledged that this year’s summit would defend climate action by governments against “serious” geopolitical challenges while also urging the private sector to contribute more to the fight against climate change.
Andre Correa do Lago, a veteran climate diplomat leading the November conference, also committed to advocating for increased climate funding for poorer nations. However, his closely-watched speech made no mention of fossil fuels.
COP30, set to take place in the Amazonian city of Belem, marks a decade since the signing of the Paris Agreement. However, it follows the second US withdrawal from the landmark pact and growing concerns that climate change is being overshadowed by national security and economic pressures.
A finance deal for developing nations brokered at the last COP in Azerbaijan faced criticism for being inadequate, while global conservation efforts, including negotiations toward a plastic treaty, have stalled. Meanwhile, corporations are scaling back their commitments to reducing carbon footprints.
Correa do Lago emphasized that COP30 would serve as an opportunity to reinforce and advance climate agreements forged through years of international cooperation and negotiation to tackle this “shared global crisis.”
“In a time of serious geopolitical, social, economic, and environmental challenges… we must reinforce multilateralism,” he told the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, the first major COP30-related meeting of the year.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, without naming specific countries, warned that the Paris Agreement was “coming under pressure once again.”
“Anyone who dismisses climate action in these turbulent times as being expensive, onerous, or superfluous, cannot count,” she said.
‘Join Forces’
Correa do Lago stressed that governments “must do their part in this global effort” by unveiling stronger 2030 targets for reducing domestic greenhouse gas emissions. However, major emitters—including China, Europe, and India—missed the February deadline to submit their updated national climate plans.
He also highlighted the crucial role of the private sector in transitioning the global economy to a low-carbon future, stating that businesses “must contribute significantly.” The private sector would be essential to mobilizing the $1.3 trillion per year in external finance that developing nations will need by 2035 to meet their climate goals, he added.
Additionally, Correa do Lago urged nations to “join forces” to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the safer limit outlined in the Paris Agreement.
However, the COP30 president notably did not mention fossil fuels—the key driver of global warming—despite a 2023 agreement among nations to transition away from oil, coal, and gas. Critics argue that this pledge remains unfulfilled, with emissions from fossil fuel consumption reaching new highs in 2024.
