COP30 must deliver tangible outcomes for the vulnerable

The 'Baku to Belém Roadmap' aims to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, but scepticism remains over its enforceability. This photo was taken during COP 29 last year. FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

- BY DR SELIM RAIHAN

The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place from November 10 to November 21 this year in Belém, Brazil. This will be the first time the summit is held in the Amazon region a symbolic decision representing the dual crises of climate change and socioeconomic inequality. While its geographical proximity puts climate-vulnerable communities and ecosystems under a harsh spotlight, the conference risks replaying the disappointments of COP29 unless it addresses deep-rooted inequalities in finance, representation, and implementation.

For developing countries like Bangladesh-where every cyclone, flood, and lost crop is a human catastrophe COP30 is not a photo opportunity; it is a test. The question is whether the summit will provide the legally binding climate finance, mutually beneficial solutions, and inclusive governance that frontline nations desperately require, or continue the practice of promising much while delivering little.

Belém's selection is no mere geographic novelty. Hosting COP30, there is a deliberate show of solidarity with vulnerable communities, Indigenous peoples, and frontline ecosystems. However, this symbolism is being tested by conflicts of interest Brazil's own oil exploration around the Amazon threatens global calls for fossil fuel phaseout and forest conservation.

Adding to the tensions is the infrastructure built for the summit. A newly paved four-lane highway through the protected rainforest, the Avenida Liberdade, poses another challenge, as it contributes to deforestation in a critical carbon sink. This contradiction, emphasising vulnerability while simultaneously undermining it, mirrors broader COP30 dynamics.