While EU leaders and some other top politicians have already arrived to Belém, the absence or weak representation of some countries, including the world’s biggest polluters like United States or India, could jeopardise the success of the COP30 climate conference. It remains to be seen whether lofty words will be translated into reality.
The failure to limit global heating to 1.5C is a “moral failure and deadly negligence”, António Guterres, UN secretary general, said at the opening session of the COP30 climate summit in Belém. Even a temporary overshoot would have in Mr Guterres view dramatic consequences. “It could push ecosystems past catastrophic tipping points, expose billions to unliveable conditions and amplify threats to peace and security,” UN secretary general underlined.
Mr Guterres also noted that “too many corporations are making record profits from climate devastation, with billions spent on lobbying, deceiving the public and obstructing progress, and too many leaders remain captive to these entrenched interests.”
We come together today, here in the heart of the Amazon at a pivotal moment in human history, a moment that demands courage, cooperation and unwavering commitment to our planet’s future. – Prince William
Other urgent voices were also heard. “We come together today, here in the heart of the Amazon at a pivotal moment in human history, a moment that demands courage, cooperation and unwavering commitment to our planet’s future, a future that belongs not to us, but to our children and grandchildren,” Britain’s Prince Willian said.
Too many chairs remain empty
Top EU leaders, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa supported Mr Guterres’ stance. “You’ve always spoken up for our planet and we thank you for that,” wrote Mr Costa ahead of the meeting at X.
The COP30 conference itself is due to start on Monday, 10 November. Already on Thursday and Friday this week, however, some world leaders convene in the Brazilian city of Belém to discuss the agenda.
However, representatives of some of the world’s biggest polluters are missing. China has only sent a lower-level delegation, and it is not yet clear whether or how India or the United States will be represented.
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Regarding climate action, the Belém’s event comes just hours after climate agenda within the EU took a significant step forward. In the early hours of Wednesday, EU member states’ Environment Ministers agreed on the EU’s 2040 climate target.
On Tuesday, 6 November European Commission has published the State of the Energy Union Report 2025 and the accompanying Climate Action Progress Report 2025. The reports confirm that the EU is well on track to meet its 2030 climate target, with a 2.5 per cent decrease of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in 2024 compared to 2023. The reports also outline how the EU has tackled evolving domestic and global challenges and highlight the crucial role of clean and affordable energy. Continuous efforts to cut emissions are crucial for reaching EU’s security, energy independence, competitiveness and climate neutrality objectives.
The EU continues to progress towards the 2030 targets of reducing net GHG emissions by at least 55 per cent compared to 1990 levels and achieving at least 42.5 per cent renewable energy in the EU energy mix.
Most of the electricity produced in the EU now comes from clean energy sources, although progress differs among member states. The newly installed renewable energy capacity in 2024 is estimated at around 77 GW and the EU electricity mix counted 47 per cent renewables already in 2024. Final energy consumption keeps going down, with a 3 per cent decrease compared to 2022 mainly in the residential sector, followed by industry and services.
GHG emissions in the EU continue to decline. In 2024 emissions were 37.2 per cent lower than in 1990 (or 39 per cent when only domestic net emissions are considered), while GDP was 71 per cent higher. That means economic growth continues to decouple from emissions.
