COP30, words must finally become action

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OPINION

By Steven Mwandha

Global leaders are gathered at the Hangar Convention Centre in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 - 21, 2025, for the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), not for a diplomatic ritual, but for a reckoning: humanity’s last real chance to confront a crisis already at its doorstep.

From the fragile optimism of COP27 to the mixed outcomes of COP29, the arc of global climate diplomacy has been one of ambition outpaced by inertia. The science is unrelenting, the deadlines unforgiving. What’s missing is not knowledge, it is the will and courage to do what ought to be done yesterday.

From Cairo to Baku: A decade of half measures

COP27 in Egypt marked what many saw as a breakthrough, a long-overdue acknowledgement of climate justice on the global stage. After decades of debate, nations finally established the Loss and Damage Fund, an overdue acknowledgement that those least responsible for the crisis are paying its steepest costs. Yet the applause quickly faded. There were no binding emission cuts, no enforcement mechanisms. The world recognised the injustice but failed to correct it.

In Dubai, COP28 sought course correction. For the first time, fossil fuels were explicitly named in a COP agreement, a historic admission of what had always been obvious. The Global Stocktake exposed how far humanity remained from its 1.5°C target. Still, the commitments were mostly rhetorical, not operational. Ambition lived in speeches, not in systems.

By the time the world convened in Baku for COP29, the stakes had sharpened. Climate disasters intensified, and public patience waned. The summit produced several tangible outcomes: climate finance pledges doubled to $200 billion, later raised to $300 billion annually by 2030; the Loss and Damage and Adaptation Resilience Funds were operationalised; and the Global Renewable Energy Accord was launched, promising to double renewable capacity by 2035.

These were real victories, yet still dwarfed by the scale of the problem. Scientists estimate that trillions, not billions, are required to avert catastrophe. Meanwhile, the largest emitters once again sidestepped binding deadlines for phasing out fossil fuels. This was significant progress, but of the incremental kind that melts under the furnace of a warming world.

Belém: Where symbolism meets survival

COP30 is not merely another stop on the calendar; it is a test of will. Situated in the Amazon, often called the lungs of the planet, COP30’s setting is both symbolic and deeply consequential. The Amazon rainforest, once a vital carbon sink, now teeters on the brink of becoming a carbon source. Brazil’s presidency offers a rare chance to recenter global climate ambition around both biodiversity and justice.

To matter, COP30 must deliver on three fronts:

1. Finance that Matches the Moment. Pledges of billions cannot confront a trillion-dollar crisis. Climate finance must move beyond charity and loans toward fairness and necessity. That means prioritising grant-based funding, unlocking private capital, and ensuring equitable access for the world’s most vulnerable. This is not aid; it is the price of shared survival.
2. Promises that Bind. Every COP since Paris has relied on voluntary compliance, a model that has failed the math of reality. COP30 must embed accountability: transparent reporting, enforceable penalties, and a timeline for phasing out fossil fuels that admits no ambiguity. Without this, the summit risks being another monument to good intentions.
3. Inclusion that Transforms. Climate action must begin where its impacts are felt in communities. From Uganda’s drought-stricken farms to small island nations losing their shorelines, adaptation must be funded and locally led. Women, youth, and Indigenous peoples must not only have a seat at the table but shape the table itself.

The end of incrementalism

The lesson of the past decade is clear: half-measures no longer suffice. The era of polite ambition is over. Governments must triple their climate finance by 2035, adopt binding fossil fuel phase-out timelines, and accelerate the renewable revolution. Corporations must move from glossy sustainability reports to verifiable action. And citizens — the conscience of this movement — must hold both to account.

The science now speaks in deadlines, not warnings. Delay is no longer neutral; it is deadly.

A final reckoning

Belém will not decide the fate of the planet in a single week, but it can decide whether humanity still has the collective will to change course. The clock has not merely been ticking — it has been sounding the alarm.

COP30 cannot afford to be another exercise in optimism without obligation. It must be the moment when ambition meets accountability, when the world finally acts as if its future depends on it. Because it does.

The writer is an ESG Enthusiast