COP30

Climate change is one of the most critical issues facing the planet today. Every year, the United Nations Climate Change Conference sets out commitments to support the climate. This year’s meeting takes place in Brazil until 21 November.

What is COP30 and why is it important?

Negotiations to contain or avoid climate change have been growing extremely intense in recent years as the whole planet grapples with serious consequences. So each year, one country is chosen to host a meeting of leaders. This year, the 30th United Nations Climate Conference (COP30) is taking place in the Brazilian city of Belém from 10 to 21 November.

The summit convenes leaders and negotiators from member states or parties that are part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This international treaty has been in force since 1992 and has also been incorporated into the Paris Convention since 2015.

Atmosphere, situation and composition

This year’s event is important as countries are expected to present their current commitments and assess progress in meeting targets agreed at previous summits. The COP30 should also set a new direction on how to effectively combat climate change. In addition to representatives from nearly 200 countries, many scientists, NGOs and indigenous people are heading here. As the climate crisis continues to worsen, the negotiations are expected to be quite heated.

Efforts to address the situation vary from one part of the world to another, but the general view is that without a solution the fate of the planet is uncertain. A few days ago, the Member States of the European Union approved a climate commitment to significantly reduce emissions by 2035. This target is one of the items to be presented at COP30. The European Commission’s initial efforts focused on reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 72.5%, but many countries disagreed. For this reason, a range of 66.25% – 72.5% was set. Efforts should then be made to reduce up to 90% by 2040.

Why Belém?

The choice of the city of Belém in the Amazon has a deep meaning. The territory of Brazil is largely made up of the Amazon rainforest, which has been called the lungs of the planet. It plays an important role in absorbing carbon, contributing significantly to climate stabilisation. However, the Amazon is facing serious problems such as rapid and massive deforestation, logging, development and the neglect of indigenous peoples. Brazil must therefore prove that it is capable of taking major action.

Key themes

Several important topics will be addressed during COP30. One of them is the focus on efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 °C. Targets for sustainable use of biofuels and social aspects related to energy transition will also be addressed. Issues relating to the promotion and financing of green projects are also a pressing problem. The conference is expected to set out a new innovative approach to the provision of finance.