The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30, held in November, admitted that the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times, agreed 10 years ago at COP21 in Paris, will not be achieved.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking in Belém do Pará, Brazil, said that ‘the world has failed to ensure that we stay below 1.5 degree’, adding: ‘It’s a moral failure and a deadly negligence’ for many thousands of people. ‘Many companies are making record profits from climate devastation, spending billions on lobbying, misleading the public and obstructing progress,’ said the UN secretary-general.
COP30 ended without consensus on critical issues such as a commitment to reduce the use of fossil fuels, the definition of a roadmap for the energy transition and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This lack of crucial decisions was strongly criticised by experts and environmental organisations. The governments of some developing countries also criticised the insufficient increase in funding for adaptation measures and the transition to low-carbon economies.
Among the measures approved were the creation of a fund to reward countries that conserve their tropical forests, the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples as agents of nature protection, and the adoption of a Global Adaptation Target, which is a common set of 59 indicators to measure progress in adapting to climate change, covering sectors such as water, health and infrastructure.
The problems not resolved at this conference will be carried over to next year's COP31, which will be held in Turkey with Australia leading the negotiations with the support of the Pacific island states, whose existence is seriously jeopardised by the climate crisis.