COP30 climate summit: COP30: All you need to know about the climate conference and its importance
So what exactly happens at these annual summits? Here’s what you need to know:
What is COP?
The annual conference is known as COP, which stands for Conference of the Signatories to the 1992 UN climate agreement. The agreement, called the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), commits countries to work together to combat climate change; They acknowledged that this is a problem faced by all countries and can best be solved together.
The agreement also established the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”; This means that rich countries, which are responsible for most of the emissions that warm the planet, have a greater responsibility for solving the problem.
The rotating presidency, currently held by Brazil, sets the summit agenda and works throughout the year to bring governments together towards common action and goals. It then hosts a two-week summit, drawing global attention to the issue while giving national leaders a chance to exchange ideas and hold each other accountable.
Over the years, the annual summits have become an important center of geopolitical and financial debate, reflecting the idea of a “global village” embracing all countries, civil society groups, businesses and financiers.
Why should we care about COP30 this year?
For many, this year’s 30th climate summit is a turning point. Brazil hosted the Rio Earth Summit, where the UNFCCC agreement was signed 33 years ago. This year, the country emphasized that the event will return to its roots by welcoming the world’s most vulnerable groups, including indigenous groups, and some will participate in the talks. Brazil has asked countries to try to fulfill past promises, such as COP28 pledges to phase out fossil fuel use, rather than making new ones. COP30 is also the first organization to recognize that the past target of preventing warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius has not been met. Brazil chose to hold COP30 in the Amazon city of Belem, hoping to symbolically highlight the importance of the world’s forests, which remain targets for logging and industries including mining, farming and fossil fuel extraction.
Who are the main players of the summit?
Most national governments send teams to interviews. Often countries speak together in groups with similar interests.
Some of the prominent voices include the Alliance of Small Island States, which faces an existential threat from rising seas, and the G77+China bloc of developing countries.
Also influential are the African Group and the BASIC Group, consisting of Brazil, South Africa, India and China. By pledging to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change in January, the United States has moved away from its past leadership role. China, Brazil and others have stepped in to fill the gap.
Two weeks seems like a long time; What happens at the top?
The sprawling COP campus is becoming a hive of activity, with campaigners trying to draw attention to their causes as companies lobby for policy change and seek business deals. This year has been unique in that the usual side events have been set aside and financiers have been allowed to meet in Sao Paulo while local leaders gather in Rio de Janeiro. These events, along with the meeting of world leaders in Belem, were held ahead of the 10-21 November COP30 in the hope of generating support and momentum for climate action for real negotiations.
In the first week of the summit, country negotiators will determine their priorities and gauge each other’s positions. As countries and companies announce action plans and funding commitments for projects, themes should begin to emerge.
Negotiators are usually joined by national ministers during the second week to negotiate final decisions, including legal and technical details.
This seems easy, right?
COPs, where countries race to make agreements in their national interests and draw red lines, rarely run smoothly. Conversations can sometimes stall, leading to erection.
Towards the end, negotiators often spend frantic all-night sessions in search of compromise. Countries then reconvene to approve decisions by consensus rather than unanimously.
The closing session, when the gavel of the gavel signals the end of the summit, is almost always delayed, sometimes by several days. Bring snacks.
