Kathmandu: The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) has opened in Belém, Brazil, with leaders from around the world gathering to accelerate action against global warming.
Held on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, the summit highlights the region’s key role as both a vital carbon sink and a frontline in the fight against deforestation and climate change.
Under Brazil’s presidency, COP30 aims to review national climate plans, secure $1.3 trillion a year in climate finance, and promote a “just transition” toward cleaner economies.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged world leaders to move beyond pledges and act swiftly, saying, “It’s no longer time for negotiations. It’s time for implementation.”
The conference will also discuss updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline countries’ emission-cutting targets. Scientists warn that current plans could reduce global emissions by only 10 per cent by 2030, far short of the 60 per cent needed to limit warming to 1.5°C.
Another major focus will be climate finance. The Baku-to-Belém Roadmap Report proposes mobilizing $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 through new investments, reforms in climate funds, and innovative tools such as debt-for-climate swaps.
Delegates will also advance global indicators to track climate adaptation progress and push forward the Just Transition Work Programme to ensure climate actions support equity and employment.
Since the first COP in 1995, these global summits have produced major agreements, including the Paris Agreement in 2015 and commitments to phase down fossil fuels at COP28 in Dubai. COP30 runs from November 10 to 21.
