After a series of preparatory events, COP30 officially starts this Monday (10) and runs until November 21st.
Despite positive balances classified by the government as signs of interest from more than 50 countries in the forest fund, the TFFF in its English acronym, the COP continues with latent challenges that permeate the three decades of climate conferences
After all these years since the first meeting – Berlin, 1995 – greenhouse gas emissions have increased by a third; fossil fuel consumption continues to increase; and global temperatures are on the way to exceeding the limits that have been warned by scientists, with significant effects on the planet.
The thermometer alert
Last Tuesday (4), a report released by the UN warned that global carbon emissions remain too high to prevent global warming.
According to UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), the world is heading towards extreme warming of 2.3 to 2.5°C, a number far from what was set as a target by the Paris Agreement in 2015.
The World Resources Institute, a climate research and advocacy group, said in an October report that government targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for 2035 remain insufficient to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial times.
Global temperatures have surpassed the 1.5°C mark in some years, with 2023 and 2024 being among the hottest on record, although the 30-year moving average — the benchmark used by the Paris agreement — is still below that level.
Even with the warnings, one of the points of attention for experts is the use of fossil fuels.
The International Energy Agency projects that demand for coal — one of the most polluting fuels when burned — will remain at record levels until 2027, as rising demand in China, India and other developing countries offsets declines elsewhere.
A few steps further
Despite the difficulties, in some segments, the data shows that concern for the environment is gaining ground. According to data from the IEA (International Energy Agency), the adoption of solar and wind energy has accelerated, sales of electric vehicles have soared globally
Global investment in clean energy reached US$2.2 trillion last year, surpassing the US$ 1 trillion invested in fossil fuels, according to IEA data.
“Ten years ago, we could never have imagined that these technological advances and falling prices for electric vehicles and renewable energy would occur,” said Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s former special envoy for climate and veteran of every COP summit.
Still, the growth of renewable energy and electric vehicles has largely offset the growing demand for energy, rather than replacing fossil fuels.
To the leadership team
Between last Thursday (6) and Friday (7), the Leaders Summit took place in Belém, one of the most important pre-COP events and which brought signals about the tone that will be adopted throughout the conference.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, According to him, there is no solution for the planet outside the scope of joint actions between countries. “The Earth is unique. Humanity is one. The answer must come from everyone, for everyone.”
The president also addressed the issue of financing for climate actions and defended that they have a minimum taxation to contribute to the agenda of reducing gas emissions.
Who also charged large companies was the UN Secretary General, António Guterres.
“Too many companies are making record profits from climate devastation, spending billions on lobbying, misleading the public and obstructing progress, and too many leaders remain captive to these entrenched interests,” he said.
Gabriel Boric, president of Chile, criticized the statements made by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, about the warming of the planet. “The president of the United States, at the last UN Assembly, said that the climate crisis does not exist, and that is a lie.”
Since taking office, the Trump administration has been criticized for its stance on the climate issue. Shortly after taking office, Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, the Republican is one of the main absences from COP30.
COP30 and Brazilian goals
Nationally Determined Contributions are national commitments to reduce emissions and climate adaptation assumed by each country that is part of the Paris Agreement. The updating and fulfillment of these goals are periodically evaluated by the UN.
In the case of Brazil, taking the 2005 indices as a reference.
In absolute numbers, this means that the country seeks to limit its emissions in 2035 to a range between 850 million and 1.05 billion tons of CO2. The objective is to bring net emissions to zero in Brazil by 2050.
To achieve a reduction in emissions, the country also adopts as its main measure the proposal to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030 and to eliminate deforestation in general by 2035.
it also brings together a summary of public policies to make proposals viable, such as the Ecological Transformation Plan, which involves the participation of the Three Powers in mitigating climate change.
Experts consulted by CNN Brazil consider Brazilian climate goals to be realistic, but unambitious in relation to the country’s potential.
*with information from Reuters
