COP31, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, kicked off in Antalya, Turkey, on Monday with world leaders, experts, and climate activists addressing a disastrous year – floods in Nepal, heatwaves across Europe and Africa, droughts in the Southeastern United States, etc.
Climate scientists are saying global warming is likely to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the preindustrial levels of the early 1800s, revealing the inability of world leaders to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal.
Absent from the discussion, once again, is the United States – the second-largest polluter after China.
While all 197 states face various challenges in following through on climate pledges, there is a bigger question as to how developing countries will be able to deliver. Developing countries are already disproportionately impacted by climate change through increased exposure to extreme weather events, vulnerability to adverse impacts on health and agriculture and weak resilience due to weaker infrastructure and institutions – causing much larger losses in comparison to richer countries more adept at responding.
Financing is another question, as rich countries are failing to deliver the $305 billion needed each year to help developing nations adapt to climate change. On top of it all, COP30’s goal to triple international public finance flows to developing countries by 2035 only covers 20-29% of what’s needed to address intensifying natural disasters and climate impacts.
However, there’s also a new trend: while developed countries have been historically responsible for causing current climate conditions, developing countries are now becoming the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Driven by rapid industrialization and manufacturing shifts to developing regions for lower costs of production, lax labor and manufacturing laws have become an incentive as companies reap more rewards in using carbon-intensive production and questionable labor methods.
Regardless, the world has shown an unwillingness to seriously address climatic conditions, nor has it shown preparation to adapt to a new reality. The last two summits, COP30 in Brazil and COP29 in Azerbaijan, ended with little agreement on how to reduce greenhouse emissions – final agreements didn’t even mention fossil fuels. Let’s see if it’s any different this time.