COP out? The world’s climate talks seem stuck in repeat

30 years, 30 COPS - still counting degrees. Is this where promises go to melt?

- S DINAKAR

This two-part series on COP30 tracks how the UN's flagship climate summit lost its direction and what's at stake as it returns to Belém, the Gateway to the Amazon. Part-I revisits how COP drifted from its founding ideals; Part-II will analyse whether India can reclaim lost ground

On the eve of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), the United Nations (UN)-led global climate conference in Brazil next month, a veteran participant likened it to a “mela” — a grand but “pointless” jamboree of over 40,000 people from across the world: heads of state, diplomats, corporate chiefs, investment bankers, NGOs, activists, students, and protesters, all gathering under one roof for two weeks to discuss the warming of the planet—a crisis that disproportionately hurts developing nations such as India.

To put it mildly, COP has lost its mojo and “needs to go back to its roots”, said R R Rashmi, distinguished fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a longtime climate negotiator.

The urgency to find technological and financial solutions to contain global temperature rise within 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels could not be greater, as over 150 nations prepare to assemble in Belém (often called Belém of Pará, the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in northern Brazil), bordering the Amazon, from November 10.

"Participation declined at COP29 in Baku, and attendance may fall further at COP30 if the agenda lacks a clear road map with milestones, timelines, and a balance between public and private finance to mobilise the $1.3 trillion needed for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage in developing countries," said Abhijeet Sinha, director ease of doing business, and principal advisor, Services Export Promotion Council, Ministry of Commerce.

A planet near the edge