Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Context: 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) to UNFCCC in November 2025, Belém, Brazil amid challenges: 1.5°C target becoming difficult, U.S. exit from Paris Agreement, doubts over multilateral processes.
Shift from Commitments to Implementation
- Action-Oriented Approach
- COP30 transitions from setting targets to execution and funding.
- Brazilian Presidency terms it “COP of Action” — emphasis on fund deployment and tangible solutions over fresh commitments.
- Enhanced Finance Goals
- New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG): Developed nations to increase climate finance to billion yearly by 2035.
- Priority on efficient distribution between mitigation and adaptation.
- Baku-Belém Roadmap: Mobilize $1 trillion by 2035 via public-private partnerships and innovative financing tools.
- Amazon-Centric Agenda
- Belém venue (Amazon gateway) highlights Brazil’s focus on rainforest protection, biodiversity, indigenous rights in climate strategy.
- Equity and Markets
- Developing nations opposing EU’s CBAM, demanding climate equity and fair trade.
- Support for voluntary carbon markets and green industrial growth.
Why Multilateral Processes Matter
- Stability Amid Uncertainty
- COP offers consistent platform for climate governance despite geopolitical tensions through dialogue and transparency.
- Shaping Global Strategy
- Discussions influence national and business climate policies.
- Example: Fossil fuel phase-down talks led Gulf states toward renewable energy.
- Neutral Diplomacy
- COP Presidency functions as impartial facilitator, protecting talks from politics.
- Brazil exemplifies through South-South cooperation revival.
- Financial Market Influence
- COP decisions guide carbon pricing, green bonds, ESG investments via UNFCCC legitimacy.
- Sustaining Momentum
- Ethical and legal authority maintains collective drive.
- Preserves climate action as shared global responsibility.
Challenges Facing Climate Cooperation
- Decision-Making Bottleneck
- Consensus requirement grants each nation effective veto power, blocking progress on loss and damage, climate finance.
- Trust Deficit
- Unfulfilled promises by developed nations erode confidence.
- $100 billion target remains underachieved, widening North-South gap.
- Waning Commitment
- Economic pressures and slow progress reduce political and public support for decarbonization.
- Enforcement Weakness
- NDCs lack mandatory compliance.
- Adaptation initiatives suffer from inadequate monitoring and insufficient funding.
- Science-Policy Disconnect
- Current trajectory points to 2.7°C rise by 2100, risking catastrophic ecosystem damage.
- Political action lags scientific urgency.
Pathways for Reform
- Overcome Gridlock
- Enable “willing coalitions” for faster action beyond unanimous consent.
- Finance Accountability
- Create independent Global Climate Finance Authority ensuring transparent, fair distribution.
- Regional Cooperation
- Boost South-South partnerships (like India-Brazil-South Africa Forum) for tech transfer and adaptation.
- Business Responsibility
- Mandate corporate climate reporting and science-aligned targets.
- Inclusive Participation
- Formalize roles for civil society, women, youth ensuring grassroots accountability.
Conclusion
- Climate target failures reflect lack of political will, not COP’s ineffectiveness. COP remains humanity’s primary legitimate platform uniting diplomacy, science, and ethics. COP30 must shift from rhetoric to results, as multilateralism, despite its flaws, remains the essential guide to a sustainable and just future.
Q- Examine the challenges posed by the consensus-based decision-making process at UNFCCC COPs. How do these challenges impact progress on climate finance and loss and damage compensation? (15 Marks)
