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The second week kicked off on November 17 with the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s high-level segment seeing world leaders and negotiating blocs delivering stark assessments of global climate progress, warning that without a decisive shift on finance, fossil fuel transition, and adaptation support, the 1.5°C limit will slip out of reach.
Speaking amid record climate disasters and tightening carbon budgets, ministers urged unity and honesty as they called for urgent acceleration of action to match what the science and global stocktake demand.
Opening the plenary for the European Union (EU), Commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra underscored the bloc’s message of collective responsibility and preparedness. He highlighted the EU’s “track record of emission cuts across sectors,” but warned that the gap between current progress and what is required remains wide.
Hoekstra urged countries to implement the global stocktake by rapidly scaling renewables, boosting energy efficiency, and leveraging all policy tools — including carbon pricing — to accelerate the global transition. Ensuring a just transition, he said, must remain central.
The Commissioner pointed to the EU’s €32 billion in public climate finance and €11 billion in mobilised private finance delivered in 2024, reaffirming the bloc’s role — alongside the European Investment Bank — as the world’s largest public climate finance provider. He called on “others with the means” to join in scaling up finance and improving access for least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS) and vulnerable economies, particularly for adaptation.
Delivering a statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Steven Victor, Palau’s minister for agriculture, warned that the world remains “off track” and that for island nations, 1.5°C is a non-negotiable survival threshold.
AOSIS reaffirmed its proposal for a response plan to the NDC Synthesis Report to close the ambition gap and align action with what the International Court of Justice has affirmed as states’ legal obligations. Victor expressed frustration over stalled progress in the UAE Dialogue — particularly on transitioning away from fossil fuels — and stressed that adaptation must be central to COP30 outcomes.
The group warned of a dangerously widening adaptation finance gap, projected to reach $350 billion annually by 2035, and called for at least tripling adaptation finance to $220 billion by 2030. AOSIS also pressed for operationalising Article 9.1 and delivering accessible, predictable finance, lamenting that small islands continue to face “arbitrary” barriers in climate fund approvals.
Speaking for G77 and China, Ambassador Lukman Abdul-Rahim Al-Faily emphasised that climate finance remains the collective’s core priority and the pillar on which COP30 outcomes will be judged. He reiterated that Paris Agreement Articles 9.1 and 9.5 are foundational to ensuring scaled-up, predictable, and high-quality finance from developed countries.
The group called for urgent replenishment of key multilateral funds — including GEF-9, the LDCF, SCCF, GCF-3, and the Loss and Damage Fund — and urged developed countries to contribute at the scale required to triple annual fund outflows by 2030. Al-Faily expressed “grave concern” over unilateral decisions by a handful of developed-country board members blocking adaptation projects, citing a recent case affecting Oman.
On adaptation, G77 stressed the need for a strong outcome on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), including clear reference to finance flows and progress on National Adaptation Plans.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell warned that while real-world shifts in energy and industry are accelerating, negotiations risk falling behind the pace of change. He pointed to unprecedented global investments — over $2.2 trillion in renewables last year — and major commitments to scale sustainable fuels and green industry.
Yet, Stiell cautioned that climate disasters are intensifying and negotiations cannot afford “tactical delays or stonewalling.” He urged parties to tackle the most challenging issues head-on, saying the determination exists “to build on past COP progress and demonstrate effective climate cooperation.”
In a wide-ranging intervention, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock emphasised that despite geopolitical turbulence, the momentum of the last decade — especially in clean energy — shows the Paris Agreement is working. She noted that 90 per cent of new power installations in 2024 came from renewables and that clean energy investment exceeded $2 trillion, outpacing fossil fuels.
But Baerbock warned of deep inequities: Africa installed just 4.2 gigawatt (GW) of renewables compared to 421 GW in Asia, despite its vast potential. She called for redirecting global capital flows, addressing crippling debt burdens — with developing countries paying $1.44 trillion in debt service last year — and forging “a new form of multilateralism” grounded in cross-regional cooperation and climate justice.
Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin delivered one of the day’s most decisive statements, declaring, “The time for promises is over.” He reaffirmed Brazil’s pledge to end illegal deforestation by 2030, highlighted a 50 per cent reduction already achieved, and announced the Tropical Forest Forever Facility to align forest protection with social inclusion.
Alckmin outlined Brazil’s goal for COP30 to leave a legacy of integrated energy transition pathways, including tripling global renewable energy and doubling efficiency by 2030. He championed regulated carbon markets as a key tool and stressed that protecting forests requires empowering the 28 million people living in the Amazon.