Cop30 was meant to be a turning point, so why do some say the climate summit is broken?

"Last year, an influential group of climate policy experts, including Ban Ki-moon, a former UN secretary general, and Christiana Figueres, a former UN climate chief, declared the Cop no longer fit for purpose. The Cop process has delivered what it was designed for: diplomacy and consensus, said Albert Norstrom, an associate professor at Stockholm Resilience Centre. It gave us the Paris agreement, methane pledges, and finance mechanisms."

"Less-developed countries left Cop last year describing its outcome as a staggering betrayal. Critics have warned that the Cop process has become mired in misinformation and bad faith actors, that the travelling circus of the climate negotiations has become too big to be effective, and that it simply is not helping to secure a livable future. An attendee checks the map at the facility hosting Cop30. Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images"

"Thousands of diplomats, activists, journalists and lobbyists are gathering in the sweltering, tropical heat of Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon, for the Cop30 climate talks. Since Brazil was awarded the hosting duties three years ago, hopes have been high that the Amazonian Cop taking place in the country that hosted the Earth summit where the global fight for the climate first began could be a turning point in the fight against climate breakdown."

COP30 is being held in Belem at the mouth of the Amazon, raising hopes that the Amazonian venue could mark a turning point in climate action because Brazil hosted the original Earth summit. Many participants are concerned the meeting may repeat past disappointments, prioritizing well-paid lobbyists and officials over substantive progress. Less-developed countries described last year's outcome as a staggering betrayal. Critics warn the process is mired in misinformation and bad-faith actors and has become an oversized travelling circus that hinders effectiveness. Influential experts have stated that the COP is no longer fit for purpose while emissions continue rising.

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