COP30 must drive shift from pledges to action

The 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has just begun in Belém, Brazil. The attention is on how nations translate their climate pledges into concrete action. With rising geopolitical tensions, climate risks and widening ambition gaps, this year's summits a decisive moment. Countries are expected to submit their third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), outlining global ambition on climate action.

- Vibhuti Garg is director, IEEFA South Asia and Purva Jain is energy specialist (Gas & International Advocacy). The views expressed are personal

With the COP presidency having returned to a developing country, there is an opportunity for the Global South to seize the climate agenda. The climate crisis has moved beyond numbers and breaking records to actual impact. In South Asia, extreme heatwaves and widespread flooding have caused excessive damage to life and property. The impact is not limited to the Global South, with Europe now being the fastest-warming continent in the world.

The breaching of the 1.5’C climate threshold underscores the importance of NDC 3.0.as an opportunity for countries to reclaim the climate narrative by setting ambitious targets. To date, 109 countries have submitted updated NDCs.

In the decade since the Paris Agreement, progress has certainly been made. This year, clean energy investment is expected to double that for fossil fuels, and temperature rise may be limited to 2.4°C instead of 3.7-4.8°C if current NDCs are implemented. However, more can be done, and needs to be done.

Developed countries have enhanced emissions reductions commitments in their NDC 3.0 submissions, but these are not enough to combat global climate concerns. The European Union (EU) has struggled to reach consensus on its targets. In the updated NDC submitted recently, the EU reiterated its goal of achieving 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2030 and introduced an indicative contribution of 66,25-72.5% by 2035. However, civil society organisations have repeatedly highlighted inadequacies in the EU's climate ambitions.