World Resources Institute expert Q&A: Next week's UN climate summit (COP30) needs to mark a turning point for climate action.
Photo credit: Getty Images / Unsplash+
Even as disasters like floods, fires and extreme heat escalate, some countries and companies are pulling back on climate policies and funding.
Others are forging ahead and reaping the benefits — from cleaner air and better health to new jobs and stronger economies. What the world needs now is for all leaders to urgently act on climate, moving from targets and pledges to real change. COP30 offers several major opportunities to do so.
Our experts laid out what to look for at the summit.
While the impacts of climate change are becoming ever-clearer, so too are the benefits of action.
The shift toward technologies like renewable energy and electric vehicles is already cleaning the air and preventing deaths from pollution. Countries investing in greener development models are creating millions of new jobs in areas like power and manufacturing. Clean energy is lowering electricity costs and bringing power to those without.
Yet this transition is not happening nearly fast enough to prevent increasingly dangerous climate impacts, and progress remains uneven. As some countries forge ahead on low-carbon development, others are pulling back. Meanwhile, the cost of climate change continues to rise: Extreme weather caused over $300 billion in damages last year alone.
What we need now is a step change. The world must move from setting targets to delivering them. The upcoming UN climate summit (COP30) in Belém, Brazil is a prime opportunity to do so.
WRI experts have laid out four key areas where COP30 can put the world on track for a safer, more prosperous future:
- Deliver robust national climate commitments, using detailed global and country plans to close the gap in climate action.
- Transform the global financial system so that all forms of finance (public and private, domestic and international) support the transition to green, inclusive, resilient economies. Ensure that funds reach the countries and communities that need them most.
- Step up climate resilience by recognizing that investing in adaptation means investing in growth, security and development; by delivering an ambitious new adaptation finance goal; and by setting clear, measurable indicators for tracking progress.
- Protect nature, reform food systems and advance Indigenous land rights: three key elements for tackling the interconnected climate and nature crises together.
So, what must COP30 achieve in these areas and beyond to be considered a success? Here's what our experts are looking for:
Published by
WRI - World Resources Institute
WRI - World Resources Institute
