One of the most consequential rounds of global climate negotiations has kicked off in Belém, Brazil. Leaders from nearly every country in the world — but notably, not the US — are gathering to try to ramp up action on climate change during a time of tremendous transformation when it comes to both energy systems and international cooperation.
Whatever happens over the course of talks at the United Nations climate conference, known as COP30 this year, will be a peek into what the shuffling world order means for the climate we live in now and for generations to come.
No pressure, right? Here’s what to know as the negotiations take place through November 21st.
What is COP30?
The event is called COP30 because it’s the 30th annual “Conference of the Parties,” a convening of more than 195 nations that have ratified the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A peek into what the shuffling world order means for the climate we live in
They’ve made some bold commitments over the years, most importantly adopting the landmark Paris agreement in 2015. The accord sets a goal of preventing global average temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius higher than it was before the Industrial Revolution, ideally to no more than 1.5 degrees. That might not sound like much, but the planet is already about 1.3 degrees warmer than it was during the late 1850s, and that’s fueling more devastating storms, coastal flooding, wildfires, droughts, habitat destruction, and other climate-related disasters.
To reach the Paris goal, many of the participating countries have promised to triple renewable and nuclear energy capacity. The 2023 COP even came tantalizingly close to reaching a deal to phase out fossil fuels, and ultimately settled on a more nebulous goal of “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems”. Research shows that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius requires reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions by around 2050, which is only possible if economies run on carbon pollution-free sources of energy such as solar, wind, and nuclear power instead of coal, oil, and gas.
What’s different this year?
This year marks a deadline for countries to submit ramped up national plans to achieve the Paris agreement, about a decade after they struck the deal. So far, more than 110 of the nations that are a member of the Conference of the Parties have done so. The UN climate conference taking place in Belém this month is an opportunity for any stragglers to submit their national climate plans, and for other countries to hold them accountable for doing so. After all, one country’s planet-heating pollution will affect the rest of the world. The group can’t really achieve its mission unless each member does its part.
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