This November, over 56,000 delegates from more than 190 countries journeyed to Brazil for COP30. The hopes of the world lying heavily on their shoulders, for them to negotiate and deliver a plan of action to confront climate change. The conference’s location at the edge of the Amazon rainforest, symbolic of nature’s importance as a vital resource for the planet. 

10 years on since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, there was hope that this, the 30^th Conference of the Parties, would produce ambitious goals towards achieving the 1.5C global temperature target. The treaty signed in Paris was, at the time, widely heralded as a success in creating an international consensus on climate change mitigation. The agreement was formed to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change; a global problem in need of global solutions. 

COP30 hoped to echo the sentiment made a decade ago. Progress on meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement has been too slow. Implementation now, is paramount. Host nation, Brazil, hoped that this year’s conference would signal the moment that governments turned words into action. That the focus would shift from unambitious pledges to concrete climate action plans.

Understandably, many felt optimistic. With the scene set, it’s stage one of the world’s most incredible areas of biodiversity, it was time for the negotiators to get to work.  

After 2 weeks of discussion, negotiations that lasted well into the night, protests and one fire evacuation, the conference came to a close. To the disappointment (but perhaps not surprise) of many, the final text fell short of concrete plans, and a lack of a unified approach. There was no clear commitment to transition away from fossil fuels. In fact, there was no direct mention to fossil fuels and only one mention of deforestation in the final text.

However, there were some successes. Funds were mobilised for climate action to help address the impacts disproportionately felt by developing nations and to protect carbon-absorbing rainforests. A commitment to address climate misinformation was established and plans for a conference next spring centred on phasing out fossil fuels were announced by Colombia and championed by more ambitious nations. 

What can we do as individuals?

The reality of climate change is being felt more frequently and dramatically in Wales, as recent extreme weather events made clear. While the outcome of COP30 could make us feel a bit helpless and deflated, we should not be discouraged. Nature’s role in climate change mitigation is clear.  

It is our task now to put pressure on our representatives in the Senedd and in London to value nature and invest in nature-based solutions to address climate change. 

It is clear that international collaboration needs to be more ambitious, but until then we can make our voices heard. Together, we can have a say in local and global issues. We are the stewards of our planet and we must make sure those in power know it.