My lasting impressions from COP30 are quite mixed. On one hand, I feel extremely grateful and privileged to have received the opportunity to spend a week in Brazil among delegates from across the world as well as my peers from UConn. Being able to witness international climate policy being drafted and edited in real time, is an experience I would’ve never imagined myself to have in a million years. However, on the other hand, I feel extremely disappointed. The change that many of us hoped to see from this COP was left out of reach, yet again. It was quite disheartening to see that the final proposal from the conference fell short of being the “COP of Implementation”.
Many countries are still extremely divided on key issues such as climate finance and the loss and damage fund. Developing countries have been advocating for more robust action to be taken from developed countries. Developing countries want developed countries to expand their financial contributions towards them. Their arguments lie on the basis that the lack of resources and finances that they have limit them from being able to focus on just transition initiatives. Developed countries, specifically ones that are the most responsible for providing financial resources, argue that they cannot consider these more ambitious targets because they are focused on their own domestic fiscal issues.
In addition to this divide, developing countries have been pushing for the loss and damage fund to be increased up to $1.3 trillion USD at this COP. Developing countries even went as far as holding up negotiations in retaliation to developed countries blocking discussions on this topic. However, this remained semi-fruitful as the final text did include language encouraging developed countries to contribute more towards the fund. However, this goal is set to mobilize by 2035, which is still 10 years away from now. It left several non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and vulnerable nations extremely disappointed with the outcome. I have to say, I am disappointed too. This fund works to revitalize communities that have been left in jeopardy to threats from climate change and to also help recover communities that consistently face the harshest impacts from the issue. The fact that there is evidently no language to encourage and hold nations accountable to contributing to this fund, leaves many vulnerable nations in even more danger.
While I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to watch real-time negotiations and decision-making, I am so gravely disappointed by the outcomes of those negotiations. Developing and vulnerable countries need more support and resources to continue this fight against climate change. They are the least responsible for climate change, yet face the harshest impact from it. The entire ordeal is unfair, and there needs to be more of an emphasis on collaboration at the conference as opposed to the division between developing countries and developed countries. The fight against climate change is rooted in unity, and I hope that we as citizens of the world come to that realization sooner rather than later.
Kanika Chaturvedi is a senior Environmental Studies major.