Story By: Dennis Ato Keelson, COP30 Belem, Brasil, Courtesy Jospong Group of Companies.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, has hailed the outcome of COP30 as a significant step forward in the fight against climate change. “COP30 showed that climate cooperation is alive and kicking,”
At a press conference in Belém, Brasil on Saturday, November 22, Mr. Stiel said: “Keeping humanity in the fight for a livable planet, despite roaring political headwinds.”
He praised the solidarity shown by 194 countries, which have stood firm in support of climate cooperation. “With or without Navigation Aids, the direction of travel is clear: the shift from fossil fuels to renewables and resilience is unstoppable, and it’s gathering pace,” he said.
The Action Agenda, a key part of the Paris Agreement, has seen significant progress, with a trillion dollars committed to clean grids, hundreds of millions of hectares of forest, land, and oceans protected or restored, and over 400 million people becoming more resilient.
Mr. Stiell highlighted three key aspects of the negotiated text: unanimous agreement on key agenda items, including just transition, gender, and the tripling of adaptation finance; unprecedented political signals, including the recognition that the Paris Agreement is working and that the global transition to low greenhouse gas emissions is irreversible; and the acceleration of climate action, with nations ramping up their efforts to address the climate crisis.
“The Mutirao text sent a clear message: nations are committed to going further and faster in addressing the climate crisis,” Stiell said. “Finance is the great enabler of climate action, and we must work together to accelerate and scale up climate action worldwide.”
He acknowledged the frustrations of different groups on various issues, including fossil fuels, finance, and responding to climate disasters. However, he stressed that the direction is clear: the shift to renewables and resilience is unstoppable.
“We’re building – day by day, step by step, COP by COP – a better world,” Stiell said. “For billions more people, in every part of the world, this is a significant step forward.”
