Professor Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder
It is now mandatory that the world take immediate, concerted action to stop global warming as its destructive effects worsen. Natural disasters like cyclones, floods, droughts, extreme weather, and sea level rise have demonstrated in recent years that the global ecosystem is quickly approaching a crisis. It is in this context that the world's attention is focused on the important climate conference COP30 in the Brazilian Amazon region. World leaders have gathered in Brazil for this COP30, held against the backdrop of the growing need to fight the climate crisis. Nearly 200 nations sent representatives, ministers, and special envoys to the conference. World leaders convened to discuss ways to address pressing issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, climate finance, damage and compensation, and the switch to renewable energy sources, as well as to create action plans.
As the world grapples with the climate crisis at the COP30 summit in Brazil, China is sending a positive message with its rapid progress in renewable energy. Chinese officials have said that a low-carbon energy system will be a central priority in the next five-year plan. China has managed to keep its carbon dioxide emissions stable over the past 18 months. An analysis by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found that China's carbon dioxide emissions at the end of 2025 were unchanged from the previous year, partly due to reductions in emissions from the transportation, cement and steel industries. If conditions are favorable, China's total emissions could fall throughout 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the UN climate conference, but he is present at the talks with the Chinese delegation. However, there is concern that China is lagging behind in achieving the target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions per GDP between 2020 and 2025. As a result, experts believe that more drastic measures will be needed to meet the commitment to reduce carbon intensity by 65% ??by 2030 compared to 2005. California Governor Gavin Newsom assured the COP30 conference that his state would prioritize green technology and climate. He vowed to block Trump's plans to drill for oil and gas in California and called the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement "outrageous" and that it would allow China to dominate clean energy.
Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is crucial to avoid a catastrophic tipping point, says Johan Rockström, a leading scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a principal scientific advisor to the UN and the COP30 presidency. He added that 10 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide would need to be captured or removed from the air every year to limit global warming to 1.7 degrees Celsius.
The world will exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius target of the Paris Agreement in the next 5 to 10 years, UN scientists say. “The 1.5°C global warming target should be maintained because the longer the world stays off it, the greater the risk of Antarctica, Greenland and the Amazon rainforest, among other places, crossing the tipping point,” said Chris Field of Stanford University. Scientists believe many coral reef systems have already crossed that 1.5°C threshold. Scientists want COP30 to bring the world together to prevent this tipping point, or dangerous level.
On the evening of the second day of the COP, as COP30 delegates were leaving, a group of indigenous and environmental activists broke through the security cordon. Chaos immediately spread throughout the conference grounds. Protesters chanted "Our forests are not for sale" and "We cannot be decided without us." They said that money had been spent on building massive infrastructure in Belém to host the conference, but there was no funding for education, health and forest conservation for indigenous communities. Kayapo chief Raoni criticizes Amazon infrastructure projects Kayapo chief Raoni, one of Brazil's most prominent indigenous leaders, has called on the country's government to empower indigenous people to protect the Amazon rainforest. Small island states, on the other hand, have described the 1.5°C limit for global warming as "a lifeline" and demanded that the world respect it.
COP30 is primarily focused on implementation-based action to address the climate crisis. The third day of the conference will review the progress of the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement, set new emission reduction targets and assess countries' implementation plans. The progress of the $100 billion commitment in climate finance, finalizing the structure of the Loss and Damage Fund, the roadmap for renewable energy, the gradual transition from coal and fossil fuels, increasing adaptation support, and technology transfer and capacity development for vulnerable countries will be the focus of discussions. In addition, discussions on forest conservation, ocean and biodiversity protection, food security, climate justice, carbon markets and the implementation of Article 6 will also be held in phases. However, the Bangladesh pavilion is still waiting to be inaugurated. Additional Secretary (Climate Change Branch) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mohammad Navid Saifullah, will inaugurate the pavilion very soon. It is expected that representatives from different levels of Bangladesh will present the current picture of the country, future risks, government plans and the demands of the people of this country on the world stage in this pavilion.
COP30 will be a conference that ensures tangible results rather than promises, where countries will have to present clear timelines, policies and financing plans. It is worth noting that, according to Reuters, the COP32 conference will be held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Professor Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Dean, Faculty of Science; Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Stamford University Bangladesh; Joint Secretary, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA) and Chairman, Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS).
