In his final letter published on the eve of COP30’s opening day on Monday, the summit’s Brazilian boss André Aranha Corrêa do Lago spelled out his top priority: ensure that the nearly 200 disparate country delegations gathering in Belèm “evolve into one cohesive team”.
But his hopes of channelling global togetherness look set to get a reality check. A familiar battle is brewing over the conference’s agenda for the coming two weeks, after negotiating groups tabled six proposals for additional topics to be discussed.
Emerging economies ask for talks on finance and trade
Two come from the Like-Minded Group of Developing Countries (LMDCs), which includes China, India and Saudi Arabia, with support from the Arab Group of predominantly oil-rich nations and cover well-trodden territory: finance and trade.
On finance, the bloc wants dedicated discussions on Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which sets out an obligation for developed countries to provide financial help for developing nations’ efforts to cut emissions and adapt to a warming world.
Their demand that rich governments stump up cash is nothing new. But that has now been fuelled further by disappointment over the outcome of last year’s negotiations which produced the new UN climate finance goal of $300 billion a year by 2035. The LMDCs are now calling for a three-year “work programme” to discuss how the provision of money from developed nations under Article 9.1 is crucial to reach a broad range of goals in the Paris accord.
-
Five big questions hanging over COP30
From insufficient emissions-cutting plans to a shortfall in adaptation finance, here’s our guide to the thorny issues facing the UN climate summit in Belém -
Health check: 10 years of the Paris Agreement
A decade since the deal was adopted, climate experts say it is working to cut emissions, spur action and reduce the projected temperature rise – but not as fast as we need it to
The bloc also wants the summit to tackle “unilateral trade-restrictive measures”. That is code for mechanisms such as the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which is essentially a carbon tax on imports aimed at creating a level-playing field between domestic and overseas producers.
But emerging economies – such as China and India – say those measures are protectionist, do not take different levels of development into account, and would harm their economies. They have been calling for the inclusion of this agenda item at the previous two COPs – but so far have not succeeded in their bid to separate the topic out from existing discussions.
Since taking on the presidency, Brazil has been trying to defuse a likely COP30 agenda fight over trade measures. But Do Lago’s proposal to create a new forum to discuss climate and trade outside of the UN climate regime was met with a lukewarm response.
Small islands push ‘survival’ agenda
Hot on the heels of UN chief Antonio Guterres conceding that a breach of the 1.5C warming limit is “inevitable”, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has put forward a proposal for discussions on how to react to that and raise emission-cutting ambition.
The group, predominantly composed of low-lying Pacific island nations, wants to create a dedicated space to agree “on concrete follow-up actions” to accelerate implementation of efforts before 2030. This also feeds into existing divisions over how COP30 should respond to a wide shortfall in ambition in countries’ updated national climate plans (NDCs) submitted this year.
“We are proposing this agenda item because the world’s current trajectory toward climate catastrophe is unacceptable – morally, scientifically, and legally,” said AOSIS Chair Ambassador Ilana Seid. “For small island nations, this is not about negotiation tactics – it’s about survival.”
The EU, for its part, wants dedicated discussions over a transparency mechanism of the Paris Agreement that requires countries to report a vast amount of national-level information, including inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and measures taken to act on promises made in their NDCs.
In its submission, the EU says it is “crucial” that good practices are shared and that barriers to boosting climate action are identified and urgently fixed.
Forests, mountains and health
Forest nations Honduras, Suriname and Papua New Guinea, meanwhile, are calling for discussions on the need for an “urgent” increase in financial support for global efforts “to reverse global deforestation and degradation by 2030” – one of the key agreements made at COP28 in Dubai two years ago.
Two additional proposals came in at the last minute on Sunday from Zimbabwe and Kyrgyzstan, respectively.
The Southeast African nation wants to create a new space for discussions on the impact of climate change on health. Its submission calls for a “structured dialogue” between negotiators and health experts that could come up with concrete actions to advance health considerations in adaptation interventions and meet the needs of the most vulnerable communities.
The Central Asian country wants better integration of mountain-related issues into the global climate agenda and, more specifically, the creation of an Annual Expert Dialogue on Mountains and Climate Change.
In an attempt to enable the smooth adoption of the conference agenda and prevent fireworks at the opening session, the COP30 presidency met with heads of government delegations on Sunday. The plenary will show whether those efforts to accommodate new agenda demands have been successful.
UN climate chief: Fight the climate crisis not each other
The head of the UN’s climate body kicked off the summit with a reminder to governments that “your job here is not to fight one another – your job is to fight this climate crisis, together”.
How far that advice is taken on board will be evident from day one, as a fight loomed over several new agenda items put forward by countries in the run-up to the conference
Simon Stiell told the assembled delegates he wasn’t “sugar-coating” the challenge ahead. “We have so much more work to do,” he said in his opening speech. “We must move much, much, faster on both reductions of emissions and strengthening resilience,” he added.
While the Paris Agreement, adopted 10 years ago, has started to bend the emissions curve downwards, it will not be enough to meet the lowest 1.5C warming limit in the accord, the UN has admitted in recent days based on new national climate plans (NDCs) submitted for the next 10 years.
“We can and must bring temperatures back down to 1.5C after any temporary overshoot,” Stiell said. For that to happen, countries need to make decisions in Belem to move forward on things they have already agreed, he emphasised.
For example, at COP28 in Dubai two years ago, governments pledged to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. “Now’s the time to focus on how we do it fairly and orderly,” said Stiell. “Focusing on which deals to strike, to accelerate the tripling of renewables and doubling energy efficiency.”
Other agreed areas for action at COP30 that need “strong and clear outcomes” include a roadmap to raise climate finance to $1.3 trillion a year by 2035, a set of indicators to measure progress on the Global Goal of Adaptation, a technology implementation programme and just transition pathways for economies and societies, he added.
World leaders get behind climate action at first COP in the Amazon
Stiell did not mince his words about the ramifications if the talks do not spur greater climate action in the real world. He told delegates that squabbling while famines, extreme weather and conflicts ruin the lives of millions would never be forgotten or forgiven.
“We don’t need to wait for late NDCs to slowly trickle in, to spot the gap and design the innovations necessary to tackle it,” he said, emphasising that the solutions already exist. “Not one single nation among you can afford this, as climate disasters rip double-digits off GDP,” he warned.
While noting that the Paris Agreement “is working to deliver real progress”, Stiell ended by calling on the assembled negotiators to “strive valiantly for more”.
The post COP30 Bulletin Day 1: Agenda fight looms over opening day appeared first on Climate Home News.
Prepared by a coalition of nine Western Australian union, industry, conservation, and community organisations—including UnionsWA, the Conservation Council WA, and the Smart Energy Council—the WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan provides a practical roadmap to transform Western Australia into a clean energy powerhouse while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
Western Australia stands at a pivotal crossroads: lead the global clean energy economy or watch investment, future industries, and secure jobs go elsewhere. The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan outlines a transformative blueprint to harness the state’s world-class solar and wind resources. Discover how legislated renewable targets, green iron manufacturing, and a dedicated regional training strategy can generate tens of thousands of local jobs, lower household bills, and build a resilient, net-zero future for all Western Australians.
WA needs a clear and forward-thinking plan if it is going to become a competitive renewable energy powerhouse and maintain its economic strength through the energy transition.
“Western Australians know a faster renewable energy transition will lower their household expenses and prevent harmful climate pollution. But the community also needs clear direction to ensure this transition will create jobs, lower costs and not cause undue environmental harm.
“Here, sectors representing a broad range of interests have laid the groundwork for those outcomes, clearly outlining what is needed to create a future for WA that is good for the environment, for the climate, for workers and for the economy.
Summary
The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan sets out a strategic roadmap to position Western Australia as a global clean energy superpower while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
The report establishes three overarching goals:
- Creating local employment.
- Maintaining industrial competitiveness.
- Lowering household energy costs
To realize this vision, the framework details actionable measures to follow on from the recent WA Government announcement of a 75% Renewable Energy Target by 2031 for the South West Interconnected System. This includes developing a statewide Renewable Energy Target, coordinating statewide workforce and training pipelines, strategically planning regional infrastructure to safeguard high-value biodiversity and cultural heritage, and ensuring equitable benefit-sharing through household electrification incentives and First Nations equity partnerships. Ultimately, the plan highlights that establishing clear policy and regulatory certainty will unlock lower energy bills, boost power reliability, and secure the state’s global competitiveness in emerging green commodity export markets.
Key Findings
- Statewide Renewable Energy Target and Emissions Reduction Targets: The report calls for a statewide RET and 1.5°C aligned emission reduction targets to remove policy risk, lower capital costs, and attract clean energy investment.
- Transformative Job Creation: Accelerating the transition offers massive employment prospects, including up to 8,800 solar and battery jobs by 2050, as well as 24,000 ongoing and 11,000 construction jobs in a commercial green iron industry.
- Industrial Electrification & Competitiveness: Requiring large gas users to adopt binding electrification timetables and providing concessional financing will protect existing energy-intensive manufacturers from rising energy costs and impending domestic gas shortfalls.
- Green Commodity Export Leadership: Western Australia can build new export markets in green iron, green ammonia, and offshore oil/gas decommissioning by constructing shared common-user infrastructure and setting dedicated Green Commodity Export Targets.
- Coordinated Workforce & Training Pipeline: To address critical skill shortages the plan recommends establishing a WA Clean Energy Jobs Plan 2050, three regional training hubs, and dedicated pathways for female and under-represented apprentices.
- Environmental Safeguards & Community Benefits: Fast-tracked development must be paired with State Planning Policies that avoid high-biodiversity and cultural heritage lands, mandate new data centres to run on additional renewable power, and deliver household electrification rebates and First Nations equity partnerships.
What you can do
WA has an opportunity to lead on sustainable, clean energy and associated industries. You can help by:
- Sending an email to Environment Minister Murray Watt and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling on them to reject Browse.
- Sharing this story to help more Australians understand what’s at stake.
- Encouraging your friends and family to take action.