This Saturday (16th) was supposed to be a day without formal commitments at the Belem climate conference. But a major impasse remains in the negotiations, with diplomats from the 194 participating countries expected to continue meeting until at least this afternoon. The goal is to reach a final negotiating text before the arrival of the Deputy Minister starting on Monday (18th).
Lucia Muzelspecially sent to you by Request for information To Belem
The so-called high-level part of the conference, in which around 160 ministers are expected to lead a delegation in Belem, will have until next Friday to make political decisions for the event. This first week of diplomatic activity will be very intense to remove as many rough edges as possible and ultimately increase the chances of an agreement.
Lockdowns aren’t necessarily a surprise. Now is the time for countries to make their demands louder and hide their cards in the final stages of negotiating a deal. Lilium Chagas, the Brazilian delegation’s chief negotiator, said in a review on Friday night that the talks were “tense” and a “roller coaster”, but highlighted progress on several issues, including key themes such as just transition, which means developing countries have special conditions to reduce emissions, and the adoption of parameters for countries’ adaptation to climate change, two priorities for the Brazilian Presidency.
There has been resistance on this topic from African countries who want discussions on these indicators to be extended for the next two years, with a view to a decision at COP32 in Ethiopia. They want assurances that these indicators are achievable for the poorest countries and that they will have the finances to meet them.
“The best is the enemy of the good. The best thing for them is to shut down within two years, but the risk is that it doesn’t shut down and starts a snowball that never ends,” said Alexandre Prado, a climate change expert at WWF-Brazil who is observing the process. “My view is that we can come to a consensus on what is good, given that all the indicators presented are not bad. If so, we can improve on some specific items, but at least we can start working on them now,” he argues.
Focus on nature and the people who depend on it
At the end of the first week of negotiations, countries’ fulfillment of their climate change commitments was a central theme, said Florence Laroe, global director of climate policy at Conservation International, another observer.
“Once countries adopt international commitments, they need to implement them. Making this more visible at this COP is fundamental because we are in the middle of climate change negotiations and there is still less to negotiate,” he points out. “Now it’s time to accelerate the solutions that have worked.”
By promoting this agenda, COP30 brings the conference’s complex negotiations closer to the real lives of people and the environment, including greater synergies between climate and biodiversity, two issues that are treated separately in the diplomatic field.
“This is a COP completely focused on nature, and we see the debate moving forward. This is certainly very important, because the world’s attention is not only focused on nature, but also on indigenous peoples, local communities and populations that depend on this ecosystem for their survival,” emphasizes Florence Laloé.
financing
But both agendas hinge on unlocking climate finance from developed countries to developing countries. This thorny issue has sparked heated debate in the COP chamber over the past five days. Another sensitive issue running in parallel is reducing dependence on fossil fuels, as raised by Brazil. Major oil producing countries, led by Saudi Arabia, have not even accepted that this issue will be taken up at the COP30 plenary session.
“I’m leaving feeling more hopeful than I was 10 days before I left. Very important are considerations we didn’t see where we could see them happening, such as the discussion around weaning ourselves from fossil fuels and creating maps to chart a path to ending deforestation,” commented Prado.
The topic of formal negotiations has also become a point of friction. On the first day, participants agreed on the general outline of what would be discussed, but the inclusion of four subtopics was still unanswered. They concern what will be updated this year on countries’ efforts to tackle climate change, financing, increased transparency and unilateral trade measures based on environmental criteria such as emissions and deforestation.
About The Author
