With time running out to deliver a credible path to climate justice, leaders warned that the coming days must bring decisive movement rather than delay.
United Nations (UN) Climate Chief Simon Stiell set the tone on Monday, telling delegates there is a “deep awareness of what’s at stake, and the need to show climate cooperation standing firm in a fractured world”. His message was uncompromising: “There is no time to lose with delays and obstruction.”
Over the next two days, ministers will outline their national positions in what is traditionally the most politically charged stage of the climate talks. Stiell urged negotiators to confront the toughest issues immediately rather than waiting for the chaotic final hours that often define global climate summits.
“There is no time to waste with tactical delays or stonewalling,” he said. “The time for performative diplomacy has now passed.”
The President of the UN General Assembly reinforced the call for urgency, reminding delegates that despite “headwinds” and the frequent “ebbs and flows” of climate diplomacy, they “do not have the luxury of wallowing when people are counting on them”.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock struck a more optimistic note, arguing that rapid advances in renewable energy and technological innovation show global transformation is already underway.
“The money exists but needs to be redirected,” she said, noting that developing nations spent $1.4 trillion last year servicing external debt, resources that could significantly bolster climate adaptation and clean energy if redirected.
Baerbock also recounted a visit on Sunday to Combu Island, a short boat ride from Belém, where Indigenous communities are demonstrating practical models of sustainable development.
Their approach, she said, shows that environmental protection, economic growth and community wellbeing can reinforce one another. “Climate action is not a ‘nice to have’. It’s not a charity,” she stressed. “Climate action is in all of our security and economic interests.”
COP30, which opened on November 10, is scheduled to conclude on Friday, with negotiators racing to narrow differences before the clock runs out.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
