COP30 begins

The world gathers in Brazil today at a moment when the promises of the Paris Agreement are slipping dangerously out of reach. With global temperatures already breaking the 1.5°C threshold, nations must act now and honour their Paris pledge before this rise becomes irreversible. The past year has been one of the warmest ever recorded, marked by violent storms and climate disasters that have spared no region. Hosting a COP for the first time, Brazil has declared this "the forest COP" and "the COP of truth".

COP30 arrives at a time when science is sounding its loudest alarm, yet political commitment appears to be weakening. Nearly 95% of countries failed to submit their updated 2035 climate plans by the February deadline. Even after a second opportunity in September, only 60 nations — representing just over 60% of global emissions — managed to meet their obligation. The gap between what has been pledged and what is required has never been wider.

And this year, the absence of the US casts a long shadow. President Donald Trump's renewed withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, dismissing climate change as "the greatest con job", has removed a critical voice, a critical funder and a critical negotiator at a defining moment. The vacuum left behind threatens to slow ambition at precisely the moment when speed is everything.

For Pakistan, COP30 opens on a familiar frontline. The country is still recovering from the devastating 2022 floods and faces rising heat, glacial melt and water stress with each passing year. What happens in Belém will therefore shape the funds available for loss and damage along with the global trajectory on emissions, all of which directly affect Pakistan's future.

As leaders begin their meetings today, they must realise that the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. COP30 must respond to this reality with integrity and urgency.