The United Nations and global leaders have issued a stark warning that the Paris Agreement is at risk of falling behind the accelerating pace of the climate crisis, calling on governments to intensify implementation and deliver measurable progress.
As the 30th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30 UNFCCC) entered its political phase in Belém, Brazil, pressure mounted on negotiators to move beyond slow deliberations and fast-track a global shift to clean energy. Officials insisted that further delays are no longer acceptable given the scale of climate impacts already unfolding across the world.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, and Brazil’s Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, led the renewed call for urgency, stressing that the next decade must shift decisively from commitments to delivery. Their remarks follow widespread concern that implementation under the Paris Agreement remains far too slow to match the intensifying risk climate change poses to vulnerable populations and global stability.
Alckmin cautioned that the world had reached a dangerous inflection point, saying incremental progress would no longer protect communities or ecosystems from worsening harm.
“This must be the conference of truth, of implementation, and above all, of responsibility,” he said. “Every decision—political, economic, industrial, or environmental—must preserve the conditions for life on Earth, protect biodiversity, and ensure justice between generations.”
He warned that the era of promises had ended, noting that each fraction of a degree of additional warming threatens lives, widens inequality, and increases irreversible losses for the world’s poorest.
“This COP must mark the beginning of a decade of acceleration and delivery—the moment when rhetoric gives way to concrete action, and when all parties move from setting targets to achieving them,” he added.
Stiell echoed the urgency, urging ministers to avoid pushing critical decisions to the final hours of the conference. “I urge you to swiftly engage with the most challenging issues. When these matters are deferred, we all lose,” he said. “Tactical delays and procedural obstructions are no longer tenable. The time for formal diplomacy has passed. Now is the moment to roll up our sleeves, unite, and deliver.”
Against the backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions and weakened multilateral cooperation, Stiell called for renewed global solidarity. He described the Paris Agreement as “humanity’s only lifeline” for confronting the climate emergency and ensuring that the benefits of climate action are equitably shared.
Brazil used the platform to spotlight its own climate leadership. Alckmin highlighted the country’s status as having the most renewable energy-rich mix among major economies and its pioneering role in biofuels and bioenergy. He also referenced the Belém 4X Commitment—endorsed by 25 countries and international organisations—aimed at quadrupling the use of sustainable fuels by 2035.
Additionally, he announced that Brazil is spearheading efforts to establish the Global Coalition on Regulated Carbon Markets, which seeks to harmonise standards and strengthen the integrity of international carbon trading systems.
