Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Architecture of Global Climate Governance
- Global climate governance resembles “hop-on, hop-off” institutional mechanisms lacking binding direction.
- Two parallel tracks operate – CMP (Kyoto Protocol) and CMA (Paris Agreement).
- Both forums continue negotiations without enforceable pathways to climate goals.
- Absence of binding obligations weakens accountability and collective progress.
Politics and Economics of Climate Action
- National interest repeatedly overrides global climate urgency in negotiations.
- Consensus decision-making grants each country a de facto veto power.
- Ambitious language appears in declarations; implementation remains hesitant.
- Markets exploit policy uncertainty for short-term economic gains.
- Climate economy incentivises profit, not long-term planetary protection.
Marginalisation of Ordinary Citizens
- Common citizens prioritise livelihood, food, housing, and employment concerns.
- Climate risks become real only after disasters strike communities.
- Limited public pressure reduces political incentives for climate action.
Science–Politics–Economics Disconnect
- Scientific consensus on climate risks is already well established.
- Political systems delay action citing manufactured scientific uncertainty.
- Economic systems discount future generations due to market logic.
- Each sector operates independently, weakening coordinated climate response.
COP30 Outcomes: Limited Progress
- COP30 delivered the “global mutirão” cooperation package.
- Measures remained voluntary, weakening CBDR principles.
- Conference aimed to “keep 1.5°C alive” despite limited feasibility.
- UNEP reported emissions at 57.4 GtCO₂e in 2024, historic high.
- Warming likely to breach 1.5°C in early 2030s.
Finance, Adaptation and Loss-Damage Gaps
- Developing nations require $2.4–3 trillion annually for climate action.
- Current finance flows remain below $400 billion.
- Adaptation finance pledges lacked baseline year and funding sources.
- Loss and Damage Fund opened but remains financially undercapitalised.
Technology, Capacity and Just Transition
- Technology transfer initiatives lack adequate financial backing.
- Capacity-building frameworks remain procedural, not outcome-oriented.
- Just transition principles acknowledged but lack binding resources.
Structural Assessment and Way Forward
- Climate governance shows institutional drift, not collapse.
- More frameworks emerged, but action deficits persist.
- UNFCCC remains the only universal climate platform.
- No alternative forum matches its legitimacy or inclusiveness.