Andr\u00e9 Corr\u00eaa do Lago, the veteran Brazilian climate diplomat in charge of the talks, said: \u201cDeveloping countries are looking at developed countries as countries that could be much more generous in supporting them to be more sustainable. They could offer more finance, and technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
This does not necessarily involve an increase in the headline amount of money to be provided directly from rich world coffers, set last year at $300bn (\u00a3230bn) a year by 2035<\/a>. It could also come from better use of existing finance, Corr\u00eaa do Lago added.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need more money. You don\u2019t need public money from developed countries. You need to leverage more dollars from each dollar that you have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can offer not only more resources in banks, in multinational development banks; put more public money in funds like the green climate fund or the global environment facility, but there are an increasing number of alternatives like debt-for-nature swaps and other [instruments].\u201d<\/p>\n The divide over the \u201ctransition away from fossil fuels\u201d has emerged as the biggest faultline at the Cop30 talks, now entering their final days in Brazil. On Tuesday, more than 80 countries demanded a roadmap to the transition<\/a> as a key outcome of the summit, in what some campaigners described as a \u201cturning point\u201d.<\/p>\n But they are likely to face stiff opposition from petrostates such as Saudi Arabia and others who are dependent on fossil fuels. Decisions at \u201cconference of the party\u201d meetings require consensus, so even a handful of states could scupper the roadmap proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only is [the divide] binary, but it is two extremes: one very favourable [to a phaseout] the other very unfavourable. There aren\u2019t many countries that are indifferent,\u201d said Corr\u00eaa do Lago.<\/p>\n Check out the full story from my colleagues Fiona Harvey and Jon Watts:<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Carbon Brief revealed the full list of 82 countries supporting some sort of roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels.<\/p>\n More than 20 are backing a declaration on the transition being circulated by Colombia. Latin American countries and the Environmental Integrity Group (Mexico, Liechtenstein, Monaco, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and Georgia) back a roadmap in official submissions to the UN climate body.<\/p>\n The EU, minus Poland and Italy, have also backed the roadmap and there have been supportive public statements from small island states, as well as the UK, Mongolia and others.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n From my colleague Damian Carrington: \u201cPeople already suffering from climate change need a phase out. The continuing increase in extreme weather events<\/a> shows the alarming future ahead of us. And without it, millions more people will migrate, and some countries will cease to exist.<\/p>\n \u201cScientists urge a phase out. They can see we are approaching planetary tipping points<\/a> from which there is no return.<\/p>\n \u201cInternational law demands a phase out. July\u2019s ICJ opinion<\/a> is clear that countries have a legal responsibility to regulate the production, consumption and subsidy of fossil fuels to prevent foreseeable harm.<\/p>\n \u201cThe market expects a phase out. Investment in renewable energy is now double investment<\/a> in fossil fuels.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Cop30<\/a> negotiations reach their climax, we call on all people who want a cleaner, healthier, safer future to make their voices heard – before it is too late.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Germany has managed to annoy the Cop30 hosts after Chancellor Friedrich Merz contrasted his own country, which he described as \u201cone of the most beautiful in the world\u201d, with Brazil<\/a>, writes my colleague Ajit Niranjan.<\/p>\n \u201cLast week, I asked some journalists who were with me in Brazil: Who among you would like to stay here?\u201d Merz said at a trade conference upon returning to Berlin last week. \u201cNo one raised their hand. Everyone was delighted to be back in Germany – and above all, to have left that place.\u201d<\/p>\n A charitable reading of the statement in German media was that the gaffe-prone multimillionaire and former Blackrock board member was reminding Germans that they live good lives by global standards, despite serious challenges at home. In Brazil, where the remarks have gone viral in recent days, the comment has been interpreted as an \u201carrogant\u201d swipe, drawing condemnation from the mayor of Bel\u00e9m and the governor of Par\u00e1 state.<\/p>\n German negotiators and observers have since strived to smooth things over – praising the country that is hosting them for two weeks – while Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva hit back in softer terms.<\/p>\n \u201c[Merz] should have gone to a bar in Bel\u00e9m, he should have danced, he should have tried the food in the state of Par\u00e1,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause then he would have realized that Berlin doesn\u2019t even provide him with 10% of the quality of life that the state of Par\u00e1 and the city of Bel\u00e9m offer.\u201d<\/p>\n A German government spokesperson on Wednesday sought to take the sting out of the comment. \u201cWhen the Chancellor says we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, tbat does not mean other countries are not also very beautiful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Cop30 is a place for Paris Agreement parties to flesh out their climate plans. But it is also a bit of a trade show for countries, trade groups, and NGOs. My intrepid colleague Damian Carrington, the Guardian environment editor, is continuing his analysis (read a previous installment here<\/a>) of the pavilions at the climate talks. Here are his latest assessments:<\/p>\n Democratic Republic of the Congo: Huge! Like the enormous rainforest it hosts. Real plants too. Top job.<\/p>\n The Democratic Republic of the Congo pavilion Photograph: Damian Carrington\/The Guardian<\/p>\n World Nuclear Association: Barren, empty. Like a fall-out zone.<\/p>\n The World Nuclear Association pavilion Photograph: Damian Carrington\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Brazil: Fabulous forest vibe. But inexplicably no coffee stand. Did the UK pavilion steal it?<\/a><\/p>\n The Brazil pavilion Photograph: Damian Carrington\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Japan: Like an Apple store, gadgets out on display. Cool, but fancy tech isn\u2019t going to save us.<\/p>\n Japan’s pavilion Photograph: Damian Carrington\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Sweden: Decent effort. But seriously, couldn\u2019t Ikea have provided some funky furniture?<\/p>\n Sweden’s Cop30 pavilion Photograph: Damian Carrington\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Planetary sciences: Bravo! A rare pavilion that is just lovely to look at. Unlike the climate science itself which gets uglier each day.<\/p>\n The Planetary Science pavilion Photograph: Damian Carrington\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Finland: Uninspiring. But gets a mention for an excellent slogan: \u201cCool by Nature\u201d<\/p>\n Finland’s pavilion Photograph: Damian Carrington\/The GuardianShare<\/a> President Lula has spent late morning and early afternoon at Cop30 looking for common ground, listening to concerns, and trying to use his charm to push forward a global roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels and end deforestation, reports Jon Watts from Brazil<\/a>.<\/p>\n After flying into Bel\u00e9m around 10:20am, the Brazilian leader considered strategy with senior members of his negotiating team, including COP president Andr\u00e9 Corr\u00eaa do Lago and environment minister Marina Silva.<\/p>\n Emerging nations were his first priority in meeting with other delegations, including Brics allies China, India and Indonesia. It is unclear as yet how that gathering went, but this huge grouping will be one of the keys to success.<\/p>\n Another is The European Union, whose chief delegate – from Portugal – was invited in for another meeting. Brazil is hoping the EU will lead in rallying the climate funds needed to unlock an agreement in Bel\u00e9m.<\/p>\n After a private lunch, Lula was scheduled to meet with negotiators representing the Africa Group and Small Island States, who are most affected by the climate crisis and are often seen as its moral persuaders.<\/p>\n Following this, the Brazilian president is due to talk to representatives of indigenous groups and civil society. Among the achievements of this COP is a greater-than-ever representation of forest peoples inside the negotiating area and the announcement of land demarcation for ten indigenous territories. https:\/\/cop30.br\/en\/news-about-cop30\/government-of-brazil-advances-in-the-demarcation-of-ten-indigenous-lands<\/a><\/p>\n Rumours have flown around all day that Lula might call a plenary and gauge support for a roadmap. But this is not on his schedule.<\/p>\n Later, there will be talks with business leaders. And hopefully, at the end of the day, a press briefing. We will keep you updated!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.57 EST<\/p>\n Cop president to the Guardian: ‘Not many countries are indifferent’ to fossil fuel phaseout<\/p>\n Oil-producing countries need to acknowledge the rise of clean energy, and rich countries will have to provide more assurances on finance if the chasm between negotiating nations at Cop30<\/a> is to be bridged, the president of the summit said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian\u2019s Fiona Harvey.<\/p>\n Andr\u00e9 Corr\u00eaa do Lago, the veteran Brazilian climate diplomat in charge of the talks, said: \u201cDeveloping countries are looking at developed countries as countries that could be much more generous in supporting them to be more sustainable. They could offer more finance, and technology.\u201d<\/p>\n This does not necessarily involve an increase in the headline amount of money to be provided directly from rich world coffers, set last year at $300bn (\u00a3230bn) a year by 2035<\/a>. It could also come from better use of existing finance, Corr\u00eaa do Lago added.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need more money. You don\u2019t need public money from developed countries. You need to leverage more dollars from each dollar that you have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can offer not only more resources in banks, in multinational development banks; put more public money in funds like the green climate fund or the global environment facility, but there are an increasing number of alternatives like debt-for-nature swaps and other [instruments].\u201d<\/p>\n The divide over the \u201ctransition away from fossil fuels\u201d has emerged as the biggest faultline at the Cop30 talks, now entering their final days in Brazil. On Tuesday, more than 80 countries demanded a roadmap to the transition<\/a> as a key outcome of the summit, in what some campaigners described as a \u201cturning point\u201d.<\/p>\n But they are likely to face stiff opposition from petrostates such as Saudi Arabia and others who are dependent on fossil fuels. Decisions at \u201cconference of the party\u201d meetings require consensus, so even a handful of states could scupper the roadmap proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only is [the divide] binary, but it is two extremes: one very favourable [to a phaseout] the other very unfavourable. There aren\u2019t many countries that are indifferent,\u201d said Corr\u00eaa do Lago.<\/p>\n Check out the full story from my colleagues Fiona Harvey and Jon Watts:<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Carbon Brief revealed the full list of 82 countries supporting some sort of roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels.<\/p>\n More than 20 are backing a declaration on the transition being circulated by Colombia. Latin American countries and the Environmental Integrity Group (Mexico, Liechtenstein, Monaco, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and Georgia) back a roadmap in official submissions to the UN climate body.<\/p>\n The EU, minus Poland and Italy, have also backed the roadmap and there have been supportive public statements from small island states, as well as the UK, Mongolia and others.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Climate compensation for war-related harms is happening.<\/p>\n Ukraine will claim $43bn in climate compensation from Russia to help fund a green-recovery and rebuild, making it the first country ever to seek reparations for greenhouse gases generated during an unlawful war, writes my colleague Nina Lakhani.<\/p>\n The figure is based on research by the European funded Initiative on Greenhouse Gas Accounting of War (IGGAW<\/a>) which found that Russia\u2019s invasion has generated 237m tonnes of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia combined. <\/p>\n The emissions come from direct military activity, wartime fires, strikes on energy infrastructure, the displacement of civilians and commercial aviation, and the vast quantities of steel and concrete needed for reconstruction. Around 3m hectares of Ukrainian forests have been destroyed or damaged by war, reducing its greenhouse gas absorption capacity by 1.7m tonnes per year.<\/p>\n Pavlo Kartashov, deputy minister for economy, environment and agriculture, said at Cop30<\/a> on Tuesday:<\/p>\n \u201cIn many ways, Russia is fighting a dirty war and our climate is also a casualty. The vast amounts of fuel burned, forests scorched, buildings destroyed, concrete and steel used, all these things are essentially \u2018conflict carbon\u2019 and have a considerable climate cost. We in Ukraine face brutality directly, but the climate shockwaves of this aggression will be felt well beyond our borders and into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s mounting pressure for states to be held accountable for the vast quantity of planet-warming gases generated by military infrastructure and operations. Even before war-related activities are counted, militaries account for almost 5.5<\/a>% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually \u2013 more than every single country except the US, China and India. Yet states are not required to include these in their reporting to the UNFCCC. <\/p>\n In 2022, the UN general assembly decided that Russia should compensate Ukraine, prompting the Council of Europe to establish a damages mechanism<\/a>. Ukraine plans to submit its claim in early 2026, which will be supported by the historic ICJ climate ruling from July which <\/a>confirmed that states committing illegal acts resulting in climate harms can be held accountable, with compensation being one possible form of legal redress.<\/p>\n Ukraine has pledged to align<\/a> its rebuild with EU climate policies. Earlier this year, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced<\/a> \u20ac265m in funding for Ukrainian energy security and \u201cgreen transition\u201d.<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s support for Russian accountability stands in contrast to its silence over Israel\u2019s destruction of Gaza. In May. the Guardian reported<\/a> that the long-term climate cost of destroying, clearing and rebuilding Gaza could top 31m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) – greater than the combined 2023 annual greenhouse gases emitted by Costa Rica and Estonia. Earlier this month, <\/a>an Italian journalist was fired by his news agency after asking a European Commission official why Israel shouldn\u2019t pay for the reconstruction in Gaza.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘This is a power struggle’: Susana Muhamad on fossil fuel phaseout and Cop30<\/p>\n Coal, oil, and gas account for 90% of planet-warming carbon pollution, but UN climate negotiations have become a \u201chuge convention\u201d focused on \u201cdefending fossil fuels,\u201d according to Colombia\u2019s former environment minister Susana Muhamad.<\/p>\n \u201cFossil fuels are in the judgement chair, and always winning the battle,\u201d she told my colleague Jon Watts and I.<\/p>\n Two years ago at Cop28 in Dubai, countries agreed to \u201ctransition away\u201d from fossil fuels to meet the goals of the Paris agreement \u2014 a pledge Muhamad helped secure<\/a>. But since then, the use of coal, oil, and gas has slowly ticked up<\/a>. \u201cThe scale of the problem is not being addressed,\u201d Muhamad said.<\/p>\n She is aiming to take on the issue by promoting the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, a proposed agreement which Colombia and 16 other countries have endorsed. She has just become a special envoy for the treaty, she shared exclusively with the Guardian, a role she will use to help sort out the thorny realities of kicking planet-warming fuels.<\/p>\n Muhamad has seen those challenges firsthand. Shortly after the 2023 climate talks, Colombia pledged to halt all new exploration contracts for fossil fuel. A key obstacle, she said, has been securing the \u201cfiscal capacity to invest in the transition\u201d and pay off debt burdens without fossil fuel profits.<\/p>\n \u201cColombian oil is not the best oil: It\u2019s heavy, it\u2019s expensive to extract, we don\u2019t have huge reserves,\u201d she said. \u201cBut still, we are so dependent on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, there are the political challenges. \u201cThe political debate becomes, \u2018let\u2019s stick what is what we know, but sticking to what we know will be an economic disaster,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Effective climate action, she said, requires an understanding that phasing out fossil fuels requires a massive social and economic transition. \u201cThe non-proliferation treaty intends to put the economic question at the center,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In April, Colombia will host the first-ever international conference on the phase out of fossil fuels, it recently announced. (At Cop30<\/a>, the country is also circulating a declaration, separate from the UN climate process, to draw political attention to a plan to phase out fossil fuels.)<\/p>\n Not just any phaseout will do, Muhamad said. She was critical of those who look for a solution only in markets and technology, without looking at the question of justice.\u201dGreen capitalism\u201d, she said, would continue \u201cthe logic of competition and dominance that always gives profit to some at the cost of others, and that will not work.\u201d<\/p>\n Muhamad has become a leading proponent of this progressive approach to climate action in recent years. Getting to this point required what she describes as a \u201cjourney through the system\u201d motivated by \u201cintellectual curiosity,\u201d a refusal to swallow contradictions and a \u201ccompulsive\u201d search for answers.<\/p>\n After growing up in Bogot\u00e1 in a family with Palestinian roots to living with mine workers in post-apartheid South Africa, she moved to Europe and worked for the oil giant Shell for five years, then moved into the human rights sphere before entering a left-wing party in Colombia.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of that came to a conclusion, which is that this is a power struggle,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has to be solved through politics.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Muhamad stood as presidential candidate in her party\u2019s primaries before stepping aside. Looking ahead to the election, she fears the United States may intervene to support the far right.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be super nasty,\u201d she predicted.<\/p>\n Trump has already targeted Colombia\u2019s left-wing government, Muhamad noted. Last month, the US imposed sanctions on Colombian president Gustavo Petro \u2013 allegedly for failing to stop drug cartels \u2014 after revoking Petro\u2019s visa in September after he took part in pro-Palestinian protests in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like overthrowing democracy in Colombia,\u201d Muhamad said. \u201cWhat they\u2019re trying to do is to put the symbol of the progressive movement in Colombia, which is Petro, and put him down with all sorts of lies.\u201d<\/p>\n Colombians are also among the 80 people who have been killed by the Trump administration\u2019s twenty-plus strikes on boats which it alleges are carrying narcotics around Venezuela. On Monday, the US president suggested he could expand the US military strikes beyond Venezuela to targets on land in Colombia and Mexico. Trump\u2019s threats on Colombia and Venezuela, Muhamad said, are driven by the desire to secure minerals and other resources.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is something coming back. which is imperialism,\u201d she said \u201cThey are the strongest military force and they can rip planet Earth for their interest.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sign of the threat of authoritarianism, she said, which comes from a \u201ctriangle of power\u201d: the military industry, the technology sector, and fossil fuel capital. \u201cThat\u2019s the struggle we have to battle against,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Authoritarianism is a major problem for climate action, Muhamad said. Right-wing extremism is on the rise from \u201cthe masses of disengaged populations that have been left by neoliberalism\u201d and are disillusioned with the broken promises of green capitalism, she said.<\/p>\n The only answer, said Muhamad, is to foster a green economy that improves people\u2019s lives. \u201cMake them excited about the future, make them have a horizon of the future,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to push to be more radical and more democratic.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the recent incursions into the Cop30 conference center by some social movements, including Indigenous activists, were \u201cgreat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the people\u2019s resistance that will move this, not the technocrats and the bureaucrats writing text,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need the government, of course, but if it\u2019s not from the bottom up, it\u2019s going to be very difficult. The fossil capital will win.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real change for climate has to be a revolution from the people.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.01 EST<\/p>\n Here is a reminder of the stakes being played for at Cop30, in a study published yesterday<\/a>, writes my colleague Damian Carrington.<\/p>\n If the 2003 European heatwave was repeated in today\u2019s world, made 1.5C hotter by the burning of fossil fuels, it would kill 18,000 people in a single week. That death rate is comparable to peak COVID-19 mortality in Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cMass mortality events remain plausible at near-future temperatures despite current adaptations to heat,\u201d say the authors. We learned last mont that rising heat is already killing one person per minute<\/a>.<\/p>\n So as the delegates in Bel\u00e9m wrangle text and square brackets, they would do well to remember what it is all for: reducing human suffering.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Climate finance: \u2018No transition on an empty tank\u2019 From my colleague Jon Watts in Brazil:<\/p>\n Industrialised nations need to step up on climate finance if there is to be a realistic roadmap to reduce the world\u2019s fossil fuel dependency, the director of Power Shift Africa, Mohamed Adow said at Cop30 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cDeveloping countries cannot drive the energy transition with an empty tank,\u201d he told a press conference organised by the Climate Action Network. \u201cWe need climate finance to help enable developing countries to be able to deliver on the transition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis transition must be fast, it must be fair, it must be financed. And that is a demand we have from developing countries.\u201d<\/p>\n Adow said the European Union needs to lead other developed countries to move in this area, particularly on adaptation finance where there were currently no clear details about how funds would be provided either in nationally determined contributions or in the main negotiating texts of the Bel\u00e9m climate.<\/p>\n He said vulnerable countries needed to see a tripling of adaptation finance, reaching $120 bn exclusively from public grant-based sources. \u201cAnything short of that is going to shortchange the poor and vulnerable countries of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n In Bel\u00e9m, he said developed nations were trying to limit discussions to criteria – measurements and indices – rather than delivery and quantity. \u201cComing from a pastoralist community, I must say that, you know, however many times we weigh a cow, we wouldn\u2019t make it any fatter.\u201d<\/p>\n Another speaker at the event, Caroline Brouillette, the heat of the Planet Action Network Canada, said the UK, Australia, the EU and Canada were also blocking progress on the Bel\u00e9m Action Mechanism<\/a> which is at the centre of efforts to achieve a just transition away from fossil fuels.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are countries who are telling us they have come here to save and support multilateralism. But international cooperation requires more than words. It requires actual institutional support,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is the litmus test of these talks.\u201d<\/p>\n By comparison, China was playing a positive role, said Shreeshan Venkatesh of Climate Action Network International. \u201cThere are many ways in which China has done way, way, way more than those developed countries have in its transitions, in its actions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe expect China to also be a voice for developing countries, also make sure that they have equity and justice at the heart of everything that they do\u2026.There is no energy transition, there is no effective climate action without China\u2019s support ..They are critical in maintaining the unity of the developing countries and I think they do that well.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.59 EST<\/p>\n Climate disinformation is one of the biggest barriers to climate action, writes environment editor Damian Carrington. As Eva Morel, at QuotaClimat, told him recently<\/a>: \u201cFacts are the foundation of trust, which in turn underpins law, and ultimately, democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n Here at Cop30, Elisa Morgera, UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, said, contrary to the Brazilian organiser\u2019s slogan, \u201cThis is not yet the \u2018Cop of Truth\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is now well-established by independent research that there have been six decades of climate disinformation and obstruction by the fossil fuel industry, who had the knowledge that their activities would cause climate change and decided not to release that to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead they invested in a very complex series of strategies to keep the public away from the truth about fossil fuels being the main cause of climate change.<\/p>\n \u201cClimate disinformation, in and of itself, can be a violation of human rights to information, to science and to participate in decision making processes. The six decades of climate disinformation mean all our efforts to protect human rights in the context of climate change have been undermined and continue to be undermined.<\/p>\n \u201cSo states must first of all inform the public about the fossil fuel industry\u2019s deliberate contributions to the planetary crisis and to climate disinformation. Second, we need to ensure in every space that we have access to accurate science based information on the need to de-fossilise our economies [and] make sure we ban fossil fuel advertising, including sponsorships.\u201d (The city of The Hague and The Guardian, for example, have already done this.)<\/p>\n \u201cPeople also need to know also about the health impacts from the fossil fuel industry. Medical [experts] indicate that every single organ in our bodies is negatively harmed by fossil fuels. Even if we don\u2019t live near fossil fuel operations, we are all harmed by air pollution and plastics in every part of our bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n The fact that it took 28 annual Cop climate meetings to mention fossil fuels<\/a> is the result of those decades of disinformation and obstruction, Morgera said. Cops also attract large numbers of fossil fuel lobbyists<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving much clearer rules of conflict of interest is crucial, similar to what we\u2019ve seen at the World Health Organisation for the tobacco industry, because the playbooks are the same. This is not yet the \u2018Cop of Truth\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n You can read more here in a recent interview<\/a> with Morgera by my colleague Nina Lakhani, in which Morgera calls for criminal penalties against those peddling disinformation.<\/p>\n Cop30 has seen 15 nations sign theDeclaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change<\/a>, including Germany and Belgium. The UK has not signed up. \u201cIt is very disappointing,\u201dsaid Bob Ward, at the London School of Economics. \u201cThe UK is currently being bombarded by climate misinformation from the US, including the interview with Donald Trump on GB News at the weekend when he claimed climate change is a hoax. The UK needs to take action against rampant climate misinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.13 EST<\/p>\n Dharna Noor<\/p>\n Dharna Noor here, taking over from my colleague Matthew to bring you live updates from Cop30<\/a> in Bel\u00e9m! Stay tuned for more coverage from the ground.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Overnight we published a piece on the extent of lobbying by big agriculture at this Cop by my colleague Nina Lakhani.<\/p>\n Now we have had an update from Hazel Healy, editor in chief at DeSmog, which worked with the Guardian on the investigation. Writing from the Blue Zone at Cop30<\/a> Healy says:<\/p>\n This year in Brazil, food lobbyists are everywhere. We see them on panels in the UN\u2019s Blue Zones, they have a whole other tented, air conditioned parallel event space called the Agrizone just around the corner, and refurbished mansions scattered around the city are holding exclusive events. <\/p>\n This lobby often goes under the radar. Pressure groups have purposefully neutral names like Protein Pact<\/a> \u2013 an initiative of the Meat Institute, which represents 95 per cent of US livestock producers. (DeSmog knows who they are because we mapped <\/a>all the groups in the lead up to this summit and counted<\/a> the number of lobbyists, with The Guardian.)<\/p>\n Now, if the food and farming business were coming here in good faith, that would be OK \u2013 the UN needs big polluters to get on board with tackling the climate crisis, right? <\/p>\n But this is not what we are seeing. Trade groups, particularly those that represent the animal farming sector (meat, dairy, feed), who are lobbying here, do one of two things, usually both at once: insist they are the \u201csolution\u201d to climate change, and demand public money for technological fixes that peer-reviewed science shows cannot deliver the scale of reductions needed.<\/p>\n They are really successful (and they will say so<\/a> themselves) at keeping food emissions out of the spotlight. <\/p>\n This translates into countries still not having plans to tackle food sector emissions in their climate plans (Only 16 out of 54 countries reviewed by the OECD have specific emissions-reduction targets for agriculture in their NDCs). <\/p>\n It means there is still no independent roadmap to chart a pathway for agriculture towards sustainability that industry progress (or lack of) can be measured against (like you have for fossil fuelled industries like transport). <\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.25 EST<\/p>\n Away from Cop30<\/a> England and Arsenal footballer Beth Mead has taken a stand on the climate crisis. Writing for the Guardian the Euro 2025 winner warns that the changing climate threatens the future of the global game.<\/p>\n England’s Beth Mead during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 campaign Photograph: Nick Potts\/PAShare<\/a> \u2018Why do we need to prove that we\u2019re afraid in order to be taken seriously?\u2019<\/p>\n Five youths from around the world will call for a COP for children in the Bel\u00e9m conference centre today in recognition that this generation is among the most vulnerable to the climate crisis.<\/p>\n They will tell stories in the Blue Zone of how their lives are affected by rising temperatures and ever more extreme weather, then make a demonstration in the corridors of the conference centre.<\/p>\n The organisers of the event say children represent one-third of the world\u2019s population. Three-in-four of them live in the Global South, which is bearing the brunt of droughts, floods, storms and heatwaves.<\/p>\n At least 5.9 million children could fall into poverty by 2030 as a result of the climate crisis and 242 million students have already had their classes disrupted by extreme climate events say the S\u00e3o Paulo-based Alana Institute<\/a>, which describes itself as a social and environmental impact organization that promotes and inspires a better world for children.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call for a COP for Children, in which we have for the first time a bold decision on child sensitive language,\u201d they say. \u201cTherefore, we urge Parties to include children as a primary consideration, as referred to in Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, by addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on children and relevant policy solutions in national planning and implementation processes.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week, the institute arranged a three-generation exchange between 40 children and adolescents with leaders such as Mary Robinson, Ana Lucia Villela and Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. One 11-year-old named Vicente asked the elders: \u201cWhy do we need to prove that we\u2019re afraid in order to be taken seriously?\u201c<\/p>\n Jo\u00e3o Paulo Amaral, of the institute said: \u201cIf this is the COP of Inclusion, we cannot leave one-third of the world population behind. We need this COP to consider children as a primary consideration, as their health and life are at risk. Let\u2019s remember, every adult was a child and a safer climate for children is a safer climate for all.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.46 EST<\/p>\n![\"Damian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763582410_898_Damian-Carrington,-R.png\")
Damian Carrington<\/p>\n
Mary Robinson has been working on human rights and climate for almost 30 years. The former president of Ireland has again brought her customary moral clarity to a UN climate Cop, making the case for a phase out of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n![\"Ajit](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763582410_21_Ajit_Niranjan.png\")
Ajit Niranjan<\/p>\nDamian Carrington<\/p>\n![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763582410_166_Jonathan_Watts.jpg\")
Jonathan Watts<\/p>\n![\"Nina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763582410_698_Nina_Lakhani.png\")
Nina Lakhani<\/p>\nDamian Carrington<\/p>\nJonathan Watts<\/p>\nDamian Carrington<\/p>\nJonathan WattsLetters from young children to the presidency about their hopes for the future at Cop30 Photograph: Fernando Llano\/AP<\/p>\n