The COP30 climate conference is set to begin on November 10 in the Amazon port city of Belém. The Trump administration announced it will not send “high level representatives” as part of Washington’s broader opposition to climate policies.
U.S. President Donald Trump has declared the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement once again. Recently, the American delegation at the United Nations International Maritime Organization negotiations in London urged countries to avoid voting on a proposed carbon emissions fee for global shipping.
Around 100 countries have yet to submit enhanced carbon goals ahead of COP30, with the EU also lagging. A U.N. report from last year highlighted that even if countries met their 2030 targets, carbon pollution would decrease by less than 3 percent compared to 2019 levels, insufficient to avert significant climate tipping points.
In an interview, Hoekstra expressed hope that COP30 would compel governments to take concrete steps in adapting to the new climate reality and advance carbon market initiatives. He also voiced concerns over China’s efforts to construct coal plants.
“It would be very important for the world if they would actually refrain from that,” Hoekstra said, noting that Beijing’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is inadequate.
“Most experts were hoping for an NDC north of 30 percent,” Hoekstra told Bloomberg. “And then an NDC that is in all likelihood below 10 percent? I mean, even with all the diplomatic language I would love to wrap around that, it’s hard to see how that is enough.”
Leave a Reply