A decisive decade: COP30 must deliver where Paris promised

How to prevent communities from climate impacts as developing nations will need more than $310 billion every year by 2035 to adapt to this climate fallout whereas they have only a tiny fraction of that total

This year’s Emissions Gap Report 2025 has since been released with the caption ‘Off Target’ with further comment that Continued collective Inaction puts global temperature goal at risk.

With the level of climate change adverse impacts happening affecting substantial loss to human lives and physical infrastructure, these findings becomes relevant that unless there is a step up efforts to cut substantially greenhouse gas emissions by substantially cutting the use of fossil fuels and considerable investments are made to go for higher alternative energy sources like renewables energy, further increase in greenhouse gas emissions puts the world at peril and our action on this count finds considerably lesser in mitigation measures and adaptation goals even though required for enhanced goals and action.

This year 2025, 10 years from the adoption of the Paris Agreement, nations were required to submit new enhanced climate pledge by February 2025 now ahead of COP 30 in Belem Brazil - many hoped that the Pledges would demonstrate a step change in ambition and action to lower greenhouse gas emissions as that would limit the rising temperature level below 2°C even though pledge is to limit below 1.5°C below industrial levels as agreed at the Paris Agreement on Climate, the current position finds that against this ambition, the action did not materialize and global warming projections over this century, based on full implementation of all Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCS) are now 2.3-2.5°C compared to 2.6°C- 2.8°C in last year’s Emissions Gap Report 2024.

Overall there is gap in implementing adaptation action plans and that is limiting the progress towards pledges and according to Inger Anderson Executive Director United Nations Environment Programme nations are not even on track to meet 2030 targets, based on policies currently in place, the world is heading for upto 2.8°C of warming.

It is against this background, the current COP-30 Climate Conference being held from November 10 onwards, is there an outcome in respect of higher adaptation plans, enhanced climate finance commitments, is there a collective efforts to reduce substantially use of fossil fuels and reduce considerably the release of greenhouse gas emissions, etc.

According to UN Environment Programme dated November 7, 2025, publication, six issues that will dominate COP 30, which is being held after two consecutive years of record high global temperatures and continued increases in greenhouse gas emissions.

Current global geo political uncertainties coupled with wars, trade disputes and major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions USA pulling from Climate Change conference and Agreement etc will have dampener impact on the positive progress in the climate conference.

According to Ruth Do Coutto, the Deputy Director of the Climate Change Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), “this has the potential to become of the most consequential climate COPs of the last decade.

But there is no doubt we are facing some serious headwinds.” Six issues are How to prevent runaway global warming,

2. how to prevent communities from climate impacts as developing nations will need more than $310 billion every year by 2035 to adapt to this climate fallout whereas they have only a tiny fraction of that total, found in UNEPs Adaptation Gap Report 2025.

3., how to make good a trillion dollar promise, in the days before COP 30, Azerbaijan which hosted COP29 and Brazil put forward a roadmap for mobilising $1.3 trillion a year in climate financing for developing countries by 2035.

4. How to leverage creative solutions to the climate crisis. Beat the Heat Implementation Drive, led by Brazil and UNEP led Cool coalition. Brazils " Bairro do Mutirao para Cidades, Agua e Infrastructural neighborhood showcases practical solutions for low carbon and climate resilient building such as low carbon materials and sustainable cooling technologies.

5. How to ensure fair and inclusive transitions. The action taken by higher renewable energy projects which provides job, growth and better health. 6 How to recapture the mojo of Paris.

The expectation is that COP30 must reignited the spirit of historic 2015 COP21 in Paris, kicking off a ‘decade of delivery’ where climate commitments turn into action on the ground.

UNEPs DO Coutto said " There is still time for humanity to avoid the worst of the impacts of climate change. “But we need to act now, and we need to act decisively just like we did a decade ago.”

Against this, the current COP30 happening during November 10-21, 2025 which is underway in Belem, Brazil is an important turning point in renewing and enhancing the commitment and action plan enhanced to control the increasing global warming and moving from negotiation to the implementation of climate action plan.

Some of the earlier said like Baku to Belem Roadmap for Climate Finance reiterating a roadmap to mobilize at least $1.3 trillion per year in climate finance for developing countries by 2035, adopted on Health Day, Belem Health Action Plan (BHAP) endorsed by over 80 countries, provides a framework for building climate resilient health systems globally, backed by an initial $300 million from a coalition of philanthropies.

Declaration on Information Integrity, ten countries signed a declaration to promote the integrity of climate information and combat climate disinformation, making the first time this issue has been formally prioritised at a COP, Loss and damage Fund Operationalization, the fund issued its first call for proposals, moving from a conceptual stage to operation and opening a crucial support channel for vulnerable nations, though current funding levels remain a concern.

However, the important and critical matters like Climate Finance Obligations, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to close the Ambition gap, Transiting Away from fossil fuels are areas, which needs to get higher support and participation and any major decisions on these issues will be a great breakthrough.

We trust that in the remaining days the tangile results will follow from COP30 and there will be enhanced adaptation, adequate climate finance commitments and serious commitments and action plan to reduce fossil fuels use as these are very important critical issues to get majority attention and action as there cannot be any further delay in containing global temperature to the required level as any let up and failure to take urgent measures will put the world at high dangers of destruction. difficulty of safe life, greater health issues and substantial loss and damages and loss of human lives.

From the humanistic angle and future generations angle, timely and adequate action becomes highly imperative and future generations will curse the current leaders not taking adequate measures in unison.

(The author is former Chairman & Managing Director of Indian Overseas Bank)