COP30 opens in Brazil as world risks missing climate targets
The COP30 climate summit begins on Monday in Belém, Brazil, marking 30 years of UN climate talks and the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. The setting, at the edge of the Amazon rainforest, is symbolic, but expectations are low.
When world leaders signed the Paris deal in 2015, they pledged to keep global warming “well below” 2°C, ideally 1.5°C. Yet a decade later, that target is slipping out of reach. The planet has already warmed by 1.55°C compared with pre-industrial times, and the UN now warns the world is heading for up to 2.8°C of warming by the end of the century.
Despite advances in renewable energy and electric vehicles, global emissions reached a record 57.7 gigatonnes last year. Concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere also hit historic highs in 2024. Scientists say the effects are increasingly visible, from coral reef collapse to more frequent extreme weather.
Diplomatically, the summit begins amid deep divides. Only a third of countries have submitted updated 2035 climate pledges, and most remain voluntary. The EU plans to press for stronger commitments, but faces resistance from major emitters. Meanwhile, Washington’s absence from key negotiations is weakening global momentum.
Host country Brazil is urging richer nations to provide more funds for climate adaptation and to help poorer regions cope with rising temperatures, droughts and floods rather than focusing only on emission cuts.
While the Paris Agreement remains the foundation of global climate action, COP30 will test whether the world can still cooperate to turn promises into progress.
The main entrance to the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem © MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP