By Atoyebi Nike
COP30 opened on Monday in Belém, Brazil, with world leaders and climate negotiators calling for urgent action to turn years of promises into real cuts in global emissions.
Thousands of delegates are meeting in the Amazonian city home to the world’s largest rainforest to push countries to strengthen their national climate plans and mobilize the $1.3 trillion a year needed for global climate action.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the planet is on track to temporarily breach the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement, saying, “This is no longer the time for negotiations. It is time for implementation.”
A major focus of COP30 is the review of new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), but only 64 of 196 countries submitted updated plans by the September deadline. Current commitments would cut emissions by just 10%, far short of the 60% needed by 2030.
Delegates will also adopt new global indicators to measure progress on climate adaptation, as rising temperatures drive stronger storms, droughts, and heatwaves.
Under Brazil’s leadership, the summit will pursue an action plan built around 30 priority goals, with a push for a “just transition” that ensures climate measures do not worsen inequality.
The talks run until November 21, with pressure mounting on governments to back up their climate pledges.
