Geopolitical tensions weakening trust, US decision will influence COP30: Brazil's climate minister

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) Ongoing geopolitical challenges like wars, trade disputes and technology conflicts are weakening the trust among countries and making climate action more difficult, Brazil's Environment and Climate Minister Marina Silva said on Thursday.

Silva, who was in India to attend TERI's World Sustainable Development Summit, told journalists that while multilateralism is struggling to fully address global challenges, it remains the only viable path forward.

She also acknowledged that the US decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement "does influence to a certain extent" the goals Brazil has set for this year's UN climate conference (COP30) in Belem.

"We do have a very challenging confluence of multiple factors that are worrisome for climate action in general. This increasingly-complex geopolitical context -- wars in different regions or countries, trade disputes, tariffs and technology disputes -- may all impact climate progress. They may drain resources and also hamper confidence and trust among parties. So we have a triple negative effect," she said.

The minister warned that short-term trade protectionism may bring temporary gains but, in the long run, leads to inflation, economic instability and food insecurity.

She stressed that two major global challenges -- health and climate change -- cannot be solved without international cooperation.

There is growing scepticism about multilateral efforts, particularly in climate negotiations, following the disappointing outcome at COP29 in Baku, the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and Argentina signalling its intention to do the same.

"Baku represented a disappointment.... This climate of disappointment after the COP was due to developed countries not fulfilling their commitments, which leads, on one hand, to a loss of credibility and a deficit of implementation. This is now even more difficult to handle because it also results in a deficit of confidence," Silva said in response to a question from PTI.

Developed countries, historically responsible for most of the greenhouse-gas emissions driving climate change, were required to deliver a new and ambitious financial package to support climate action in the developing world at the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan last year.

However, they offered a paltry USD 300 billion by 2035, a mere fraction of the at least USD 1.3 trillion needed annually from 2025, leaving many developing countries deeply disappointed.

Silva said multilateralism is not being able to "fully handle" global challenges. However, "there is no effective solution outside multilateralism (either). Multilateralism is the only way forward," she said, stressing that Brazil remains committed to strengthening it.

Calling for reforms in the UN system for global governance, Silva said changes are needed to make it more effective and adaptable. "Our reality is not static. We need swifter processes and swifter structures to deal with climate change." Asked whether the US decision to leave the Paris Agreement would affect COP30, Silva said, "We cannot be denialists to not acknowledge that." She said the United States, being the world's second-largest GHG emitter and a major economic and technological power, "does influence" Brazil's COP30 goals "to some extent".

However, she stressed that this would not deter Brazil's climate efforts. "On the contrary, we will strengthen climate action and fight inequality while pushing for stronger means of implementation." PTI GVS RC

Source: PTI