UN chief warns nations to ‘fight climate crisis, not each other’ as US absence stands out
The COP30 climate summit opened on Monday with the UN climate chief urging countries to work together, not fight over priorities, as efforts to curb global warming are threatened by a breakdown in international consensus.
Host country Brazil brokered a deal on the agenda for the two-week summit in the Amazon city of Belem, deflecting efforts by developing country negotiating blocs to push contentious issues such as climate finance and carbon taxes into the talks.
It was unclear whether the countries would aim to negotiate a final deal to end the event – a harsh sell-off in a year of fractious global politics and US efforts to block the transition from fossil fuels.
Some, including Brazil, have suggested that countries focus on smaller efforts that don’t need consensus, such as deforestation, after years of COP summits making lofty promises only to leave many unfulfilled.
“In this arena of COP30, your job here is not to fight each other – your job here is to fight this climate crisis, together,” UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell told delegates from more than 190 participating countries.
A new United Nations analysis of countries’ emission reduction plans estimated that global greenhouse gases would fall by 12 percent by 2035 from 2019 levels, improving on a previous estimate of 10 percent published last month.
The new figure took into account more recent pledges, including from China and the EU, but still fell short of the 60% emissions cut needed by 2035 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures – the threshold beyond which scientists say climate change would have far more severe effects.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned against vested interests trying to cover up the dangers of climate change. “They are attacking institutions, science, universities,” he said. “It’s time to inflict another defeat on the naysayers.”
The world’s largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases – the United States – chose to skip the summit. US President Donald Trump falsely claims climate change is a hoax.
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