New Delhi, Nov 10 (PTI) UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell on Monday opened COP30 with a sharp warning that while the world has managed to bend the emissions curve downwards since the Paris Agreement, far stronger and faster action is needed to avert escalating climate disasters.
Stiell, in his opening address at the UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, said countries must move “much, much faster”, both on cutting emissions and building resilience, warning that failing to do so will have severe economic, social and political costs.
“The emissions curve has been bent downwards… but I am not sugar-coating it. We have so much more work to do,” he said.
“The science is clear: we can and must bring temperatures back down to 1.5 degrees Celsius after any temporary overshoot. Lamenting is not a strategy. We need solutions,” he said, calling on leaders to turn their existing pledges into immediate action.
Speaking at the mouth of the Amazon River, Stiell used the river as a metaphor for international cooperation, saying the COP process, like the Amazon’s thousand tributaries, must be powered by “many streams” of collaboration.
“Individual national commitments alone are not cutting emissions fast enough,” he said, adding that no country can afford to delay as climate disasters devastate lives and economies.
“To falter whilst mega-droughts wreck national harvests, sending food prices soaring, makes zero sense, economically or politically,” Stiell said.
“To squabble while famines take hold, forcing millions to flee their homelands… this will never be forgotten.” Quoting former US president Franklin Roosevelt, Stiell urged negotiators to be “in the arena” and work together instead of against one another.
“Your job here is not to fight one another – your job is to fight this climate crisis, together,” he said.
Highlighting that the transition to clean energy is already underway, Stiell pointed to record investment in renewables and their economic viability.
“Solar and wind are now the lowest-cost power in 90 per cent of the world. Renewables overtook coal this year as the world’s top energy source,” he said, adding that global investment in clean energy now outpaces fossil fuels two to one.
He urged negotiators in Belem to focus on how to deliver on what the world has already agreed, a transition away from fossil fuels, a just and inclusive economic transformation and stronger action on adaptation and technology.
“We have already agreed to deliver at least USD 300 billion in climate finance… now we need to start moving towards the USD 1.3 trillion,” he said, referring to the ‘Baku to Belem Roadmap’ for scaling up support.
Stiell also called for concrete steps to operationalise the global goal on adaptation, implement the technology programme and link negotiations to real-world outcomes.
“Strong and clear outcomes on all these issues are essential. This is how we signal to the world that climate cooperation is delivering results,” he said.
Describing the energy transition as the “growth story of the 21st century”, Stiell said every gigawatt of clean power means more jobs and less pollution, while every action to build resilience saves lives and protects economies.
“Those opting out or taking baby-steps face stagnation and higher prices, while other economies surge ahead,” he warned.
COP30, which marks a decade since the Paris Agreement, is taking place amid heightened geopolitical tensions, ongoing wars and economic uncertainty triggered by US tariffs.
The United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, along with several developed countries re-evaluating their climate commitments amid economic and energy security concerns, has created a challenging backdrop for this year’s climate talks.
Therefore, a fair and ambitious outcome at COP30 will be important to reaffirm trust in multilateralism.
COP30 is also the moment when countries must submit the next generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the 2031-2035 period.
NDCs are national climate plans under the Paris Agreement that set targets to cut emissions and adapt to climate change, guiding global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
India is expected to submit at COP30 its updated NDCs and National Adaptation Plan, which will outline how it will prepare for and cope with the impacts of climate change.
The world has already heated up by 1.3 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), largely due to burning fossil fuels.
The UN Emissions Gap report published last week said that under the current policies, the world is on track for 2.8 degrees of warming by 2100.
To limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the UN’s climate science body, IPCC, says emissions must peak by 2025 and drop 43 per cent by 2030 and 57 per cent by 2035.
However, IPCC chair Jim Skea told PTI in an interview in March that the emission reduction target is now outdated due to inaction, meaning the actual reduction needed is even higher. PTI GVS GVS KSS KSS
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