International News

As the world approaches a cli­mate tipping point, COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10-21, 2025, has already been hailed as one of the most conse­quential United Nations climate con­ferences since the Paris Agreement of 2015. With escalating extreme weather events, intensifying geopolitical divides, and widening gaps in climate finance, COP30 arrives at a moment of both urgency and opportunity—a juncture where global leadership, equity, and scientific realism must converge.

Belém, located in the heart of the Amazon basin, is not just a symbolic venue; it is a statement. The Amazon rainforest, often called the “lungs of the Earth”—is facing unprecedented threats from deforestation, illegal min­ing, forest fires, and biodiversity loss. Hosting COP30 at the gateway to these ecological treasure places the climate crisis in its most raw and visible form, reminding negotiators that the conse­quences of inaction are written in the disappearing foliage and receding wa­terways of the planet’s most vital eco­system.

One of the defining goals of COP30 is the submission of new Nationally De­termined Contributions (NDCs). Un­der the Paris Agreement, nations are required to present updated climate commitments every five years, and 2025 marks the deadline for the next cycle. These next-generation NDCs are ex­pected to be far more ambitious, given that current pledges still place the world on a path to 2.4–2.8°C warming, well above the 1.5°C limit scientists consider critical to avoid catastrophic impacts; this limit to global warming was set by the Paris Agreement.

The pressure is enormous. The UN’s Global Stocktake has repeatedly warned that global emissions must fall by nearly 43% by 2030 to keep the target of 1.5°C within reach. Yet emis­sions continue to rise in several major economies. COP30 thus becomes the global stage where nations must present concrete, science-aligned roadmaps, not vague aspirations, to slash emissions through renewable energy expansion, electrification, nature-based solutions, methane reductions, and industrial de­carbonisation.

Perhaps the most contentious issue that was expected to dominate COP30, even before the summit began, was cli­mate finance, especially for developing countries. The long-promised $100 bil­lion per year, first pledged in 2009, has still not fully materialised. Meanwhile, the actual financial need, according to multiple UN and World Bank estimates, is closer to $1 trillion annually by 2030 for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage combined.

The three major finance pillars that are central to any discussion on climate change are:

• Fulfilling and expanding the $100 billion goal, ensuring predictable flows rather than voluntary contributions.
• Operationalising the Loss and Dam­age Fund, which was established at COP27 but faces disputes over funding sources and governance.
• Creating a new post-2025 climate finance framework with clearer ac­countability mechanisms for developed nations.

Developing countries, especially in the Global South, are expected to push aggressively for fair climate financing arguing that those who historically con­tributed most to greenhouse emissions must take greater responsibility.

Prior to the summit, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva po­sitioned Amazon protection as a central theme for COP30. His administration has already reduced deforestation sig­nificantly, but the challenge remains immense. The Amazon is nearing a “dieback point”, where parts of the for­est could transition into savannah-like ecosystems, releasing stored carbon and disrupting global rainfall patterns.

COP30 spotlighted strengthening global commitments to halt deforesta­tion by 2030, expanding Indigenous rights and guardianship programmes and financing forest conservation through carbon markets, REDD+ mechanisms, and biodiversity credits. With Indigenous leaders from the Ama­zon basin participating in a big way, COP30 became one of the most inclu­sive climate summits yet.

The international political land­scape remains tense. The Russia-Ukraine conflict, shifting US-China relations, and volatile energy markets have all complicated climate diplomacy. Countries continue to walk a tightrope between energy security and climate priorities. For COP30 and its successors to succeed, the world’s major emitters, including the US, China, and the EU, India, and Brazil, must find common ground on fossil fuel phase-down, car­bon pricing, technology sharing, and climate adaptation efforts.