COP30-Conference of Parties 2025

Today we discuss about “COP30-Conference of Parties 2025” UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday convened a virtual summit with leaders from 17 of the world’s leading economies and countries facing climate challenges, aiming to accelerate ambitious climate action.

 

The meeting was organized in conjunction with the annual COP30-Conference of Parties 2025 scheduled to be held in Brazil this year.

Ahead of the UN Climate Conference, a common mobilization strategy for global action under the Paris Climate Agreement is being developed to shape concrete, ambitious national climate plans by 2025.

China, the European Union, the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and small island developing states participated in the two-hour closed-door session on Wednesday.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, the UN Secretary-General called it the most diverse meeting of national leaders to focus solely on the climate issue.“As we heard today, the world is moving forward. Full speed ahead. No group or government can stop the clean energy revolution.”

New National Pledges

 

• The UN chief noted that many leaders have pledged ambitious new climate plans, formally known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which is a strong message of unity.
• The Secretary-General noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping confirmed during the meeting that NDC plans will take into account every sector of the economy and greenhouse gas emissions.
• According to him, these pledges provide a crucial opportunity to chart a bold path forward over the next decade and will help accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

 

A Key Economic Opportunity of the Century

 

The UN chief called renewable energy production a crucial economic opportunity this century, one that could lead the world “out of climate hell. “The clean energy sector is booming, creating jobs, increasing competition and progress…Science is on our side, and economics have changed.”

He said that renewable energy prices have fallen dramatically, and this is a sure path to energy sovereignty and security, eliminating dependence on volatile fossil fuels and expensive imports. Since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, global temperature rise projections have changed. Previously, a 4°C increase was projected by the end of this century compared to pre-industrial times, but implementing current plans could limit this to 2.6°C.

However, this is still short of the target of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which was agreed upon by countries at the Paris Climate Conference and is supported by climate scientists. Secretary-General Guterres urged world leaders to present their national plans to achieve this goal, covering all sectors of the economy and committing to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

G20 Summit 2025-Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability

 

Strategic Mobilization

 

Earlier, a senior UN official described Wednesday’s meeting as an important step that will help maintain political momentum during a crucial year for combating climate change. According to him, the group of delegates invited to this meeting is small but representative, including major economies, regional powers, former hosts of the COP30  summit, and nations vulnerable to climate change.

The senior UN official noted that the Paris Climate Agreement will complete 10 years in 2025, and the deadline for introducing new climate policies is approaching. He stressed that concrete results are essential to restore trust in multilateralism. “We want to prove that multilateralism is not just about negotiating documents, but also about translating them into reality.”

 

Call for Justice and Financing

 

Secretary-General Guterres pointed out the need for greater support for developing countries, which are facing the most severe impacts of climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions. “Africa and other parts of the developing world are experiencing rapid temperature increases, and Pacific island countries are experiencing rapid sea level rise. At the same time, the global average is also accelerating.”

The UN chief urged countries to present a credible roadmap to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries by 2035. Additionally, climate adaptation funding must be increased to $40 billion this year and contributions to the Climate Loss and Damage Fund must be increased.

Secretary-General Guterres also announced a high-level UN event in September, ahead of this year’s COP30 conference, to review progress on climate plans and financing.

“COP30 ” most commonly refers to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

 What is COP?

Acronym: conference of the parties.

Meaning: The “Parties” are the countries that have ratified, or agreed to be bound by, the UNFCCC—the 1992 international treaty to prevent “dangerous anthropogenic (human-caused) interference with the climate system.”

Function: It serves as the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC. At these conferences, governments assess progress, negotiate new agreements, and set policy to tackle climate change.

Key Outcomes and Agreements

 

COPs are crucial because they produce landmark agreements that shape global climate policy:

• • The Kyoto Protocol (COP3, 1997): The first major international agreement to set country-level, legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developed nations.

  • The Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015): A legally binding international treaty adopted by nearly all countries, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5°C

History of COP :-

 

The history of the Conference of the Parties (COP) is a timeline of global efforts to combat climate change under the umbrella of the United Nations.

The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a treaty signed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The UNFCCC established the foundation for international political efforts to address global warming.

Here are the key milestones in the history of the COP:

1. Foundation (1992-1995)

 

• 1992: Rio Earth Summit (Brazil): The UNFCCC was adopted, laying the groundwork for international climate cooperation and requiring countries to meet annually.

• 1995: COP 1 (Berlin, Germany): The first official Conference of the Parties was held, establishing the rules of engagement and calling for stronger commitments from industrialized countries.

2. The Kyoto Era (1997-2012)

 

• 1997: COP 3 (Kyoto, Japan) – The Kyoto Protocol: This was a major breakthrough, adopting the first legally binding agreement requiring industrialized nations (Annex I Parties) to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

• 2005: COP 11 (Montreal, Canada): The Kyoto Protocol officially entered into force, and the first Meeting of the Parties (CMP 1) was held to discuss its implementation.

• 2007: COP 13 (Bali, Indonesia): The “Bali Road Map” was agreed upon, setting a timetable for negotiations on a new, comprehensive international agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

• 2009: COP 15 (Copenhagen, Denmark): Failed to produce a legally binding global treaty but established the goal of limiting global warming to below $2^\circ\text{C}$ and led to the creation of the Green Climate Fund to support developing nations.

3. The Paris Era (2015-Present)

 

• 2015: COP 21 (Paris, France) – The Paris Agreement: This was a landmark event. Parties adopted a universal, legally binding agreement that aims to limit global warming to “well below $2^\circ\text{C}$” above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to $1.5^\circ\text{C}$. The agreement is built on voluntary national climate plans called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

• 2021: COP 26 (Glasgow, UK): Resulted in the Glasgow Climate Pact, which finalized outstanding elements of the “Paris Rulebook” and explicitly called for a phase-down of unabated coal power and a phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

• 2022: COP 27 (Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt): Achieved a major breakthrough by establishing a Loss and Damage Fund to provide financial assistance to developing countries most vulnerable to the irreversible effects of climate change.

• 2023: COP 28 (Dubai, UAE): Focused on the first Global Stocktake, a comprehensive assessment of progress toward the Paris Agreement goals. The resulting agreement marked the first time that parties explicitly agreed to accelerate a “transitioning away from fossil fuels” in energy systems.

The COPs continue to meet annually to review progress, negotiate new commitments, and mobilize action, serving as the central forum for global climate policy.