NEW DELHI: The 30th session of the annual UN climate conference (COP30) kicked off on Monday in Belem, Brazil, with a focus on climate finance to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries by 2035. Discussions on the inaugural day, however, were centred around setting key agenda points, involving five critical issues, for negotiations. The presidencies of this year’s host Brazil and last year’s host Azerbaijan had last week released the ‘Baku to Belém Roadmap’, detailing how to deliver $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries to help them implement promised climate actions. Though not a formal conference document, the Roadmap set the tone for brainstorming the issue during the upcoming negotiations.
With countries gearing up to discuss contentious issues, including climate finance, UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell, while opening the COP30, said, “Your job here is not to fight one another – your job is to fight this climate crisis, together.” Besides the critical issues of ways and means of mobilising climate finance and the countries’ response to the latest round of climate action pledges (Nationally Determined Contributions) to limit the warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, the setting of agenda on the first day revolved around three more issues, including a request to discuss unilateral trade measures such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the EU-backed proposal on emissions reporting. The CBAM, which is to be implemented from next year, will impose border tax on carbon intensive goods, like iron & steel, aluminium and cement, that enter the 27 European Union nations. It’ll put a tariff burden on such products of developing countries, including India, and impact their trade. As part of the other agenda, host Brazil has proposed setting up the Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT) to integrate climate and trade policies. It aims to create a unified platform under the WTO to discuss how such integration takes place. Negotiators of over 195 member-countries are expected to finalise the agenda through consensus by Wednesday. India is currently represented by a team of officials from different ministries, including environment, finance and renewable energy.Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav will participate in the negotiations during the second week of the conference.
