COP30 at halftime sees EU pushback on India, China’s CBAM, finance moves

Two issues on financial obligations of developed countries and unilateral trade agreements were dropped from the COP agenda after resistance from developed nations

- S DINAKAR

Protestors call for climate justice and territorial protection during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem

(PHOTO: REUTERS)

What's at play at the end of the first innings, 13,500 km from Delhi in a Brazilian town bordering the Amazon rainforest — a place where over 190 countries have assembled to find ways to cap global warming — finds an echo in the smog-infested streets of northern India and typhoon-struck parts of the Caribbean and the Philippines.

At the Conference of Parties (COP), the 30th edition of the annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting, happening this year in Belem, rich nations are refusing to address concerns over trade and finance raised by developing countries like India, China, or Jamaica. Nor have they paid attention to the concerns of the indigenous dwellers of the Amazon.

Following a small riot and blockades at the venue, and a funeral procession for fossil fuels, accompanied by coffins and crosses, COP30 Chief Executive Officer Ana Toni saw in it a sign of a vibrant democracy — a spirit visible in the summit halls as hundreds of officials voice their views.

But the fire of democracy may not translate into meaningful outcomes, said R R Rashmi, India’s chief climate negotiator at previous COPs: Neither for India, the ninth-most affected nation by extreme weather events, nor for the Amazon settlers, at whose home Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula opened up areas for oil drilling.