A group of scientists issued a strong warning on Friday (14th) this week about the direction of the COP30 negotiations, saying that science is being systematically undermined in official documents. The group of scientists said the move was part of a “wider strategy of delay and denial” by some countries.
“Science is being removed from the document, but this is part of a broader strategy of delay and denial,” says the document, which is signed by internationally renowned names such as Carlos Nobre, Johan Rockström, Piers Foster and Thelma Krug. They are part of the Planetary Science Pavilion, established at the request of COP30 President Andre Correa de Lago, with the aim of bringing scientific evidence closer to climate change negotiations and increasing influence in the diplomatic process.
Rockström, one of the world’s leading climate scientists and director of the Potsdam Institute, said negotiators needed to pay attention to the pavilion to understand the latest science and warned that 1.5C is “not a goal, not an objective, it’s a limit.” Ignoring this limit, he says, puts billions of people at risk and pushes the world towards the point of no return on climate change.
“There is an urgent need to reverse this situation, so we need to bring science closer to the discussion here,” he said. “We are calling on negotiators to come to us. We will come to you if you want, but we need closer relationships.”
In a letter published this Friday, the scientists stress that it is “essential that countries use COP30 to develop a roadmap that will put the world on the path to eliminating fossil fuels.” They point out that despite the urgency, some countries have sought to remove scientific references from the text of both the COP and recent IPCC negotiations, weakening the technical foundations that should guide the agreement.
“Data and science are essential for us to make the right decisions, both here at the COP and at home,” the document said.
On the eve of the second week of negotiations starting on Monday (17th), scientists stressed that in the coming days in Belém, setting out a concrete path to phase out fossil fuels should be the main priority of negotiators.
“We are aware that many countries are raising their voices on this matter. President Lula reiterated this in his opening speech, Colombia is rallying support for the declaration, and many countries in Europe and Asia are actively and actively speaking out. The opportunity has arrived and we cannot afford to lose it,” they conclude.
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