COP30 – the never-ending story

COP30 in Belém: A Continuing Tale of Lost Opportunities

COP30 concluded in Belém, Brazil, leaving a familiar sense that as climate conferences multiply, their impact on the planet’s future diminishes. It begs the question: does it still make sense to speak of a definitive “conclusion,” or should we view each gathering as just another chapter in an ongoing saga—marked by grand declarations of commitment but only modest actions—while the only undeniable changes are those unfolding in the climate itself?

This COP, dubbed the “COP of truth,” ultimately felt like a Leopardi-like paradox: “change everything so that nothing changes.” The most emblematic issue was the roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, clearly identified in preparatory documents as the main driver of climate-altering emissions. This recognition came far too late: as early as 1995, at the inaugural COP in Berlin, the connection between fossil fuels and global warming was well known, debated, and politically acknowledged. Yet, nearly thirty years later, that crucial roadmap vanished from the final text, erased to appease oil-producing countries and exempt them from binding commitments.

A familiar pattern unfolds: people become agitated, argue fiercely, clash, and subject themselves to the scrutiny of international public opinion, only to reach the final day with a diluted agreement, negotiated to the brink to preserve appearances but at the cost of real impact.

Among the major unresolved issues is the question of financial resources needed to support countries most affected by the climate crisis. The call to significantly increase funding remains, for now, a promise deferred to the future. The figure remains at $300 billion by 2035—an amount that, while seemingly large, quickly loses significance when put into perspective: it is only a fraction of one individual’s salary , such as the one trillion attributed to Elon Musk, and a negligible sum compared to global military spending or the economic damages caused by ongoing conflicts.

Something is indeed changing: a group of “willing” countries is advancing the energy transition and investing in renewable energy. However, the reality is more complex than it seems. Ultimately, each nation prioritizes its own interests, resulting in questionable decisions, such as a heavy reliance on biofuels. Large-scale biofuel production requires extensive acreage, resulting in significant environmental and social consequences, particularly in tropical regions.

It is challenging to stay hopeful when collective decisions are consistently obstructed by the economic interests of a few, while the impacts of the climate crisis are felt by many: rural communities, coastal populations, vulnerable regions, and all of us who inhabit the same planet and share the same biosphere.

The Belém summit concludes not as a total failure, but falling short of the historic breakthrough it promised. Diplomatic stagnation persists, accompanied by the lingering hope for a political awakening that continually feels deferred.

See you at COP31. And then at 32, 33… all the way to COP∞.

Hoping that sooner or later it will not be the climate itself writing the most dramatic final document.