UN climate chief Simon Stiell told COP30 in Belém that the Paris Agreement has slowed the growth of greenhouse gases but warned that progress remains too slow. He urged much faster emissions cuts and stronger resilience, stressing science shows temperatures can be returned to 1.5 °C after any temporary overshoot. Solar and wind now lead—cheapest in ~90% of the world—and renewable investment outpaces fossil fuels by about 2:1. Delegates from 190+ countries and ~50,000 participants will spend two weeks negotiating emissions cuts and adaptation finance.
COP30 Opens in Belém: Paris Agreement Praised — UN Urges "Much, Much Faster" Climate Action
UN climate chief Simon Stiell told COP30 in Belém that the Paris Agreement has slowed the growth of greenhouse gases but warned that progress remains too slow. He urged much faster emissions cuts and stronger resilience, stressing science shows temperatures can be returned to 1.5 °C after any temporary overshoot. Solar and wind now lead—cheapest in ~90% of the world—and renewable investment outpaces fossil fuels by about 2:1. Delegates from 190+ countries and ~50,000 participants will spend two weeks negotiating emissions cuts and adaptation finance.
01:44 AM, 11/11/2025Environment
As COP30 opened in Belém in Brazil's Amazon region on Monday, UN climate chief Simon Stiell acknowledged that the Paris Agreement — concluded a decade ago — has produced measurable gains in slowing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions. He also warned that current progress is insufficient and urged a sharper sense of urgency from the international community.
Addressing the plenary, Stiell said:
"We must move much, much, faster on both reductions of emissions and strengthening resilience."
He pointed to the scientific consensus that temperatures can be brought back to 1.5 °C after any temporary overshoot and emphasized that humanity still has the ability and obligation to limit warming to 1.5 °C above pre‑industrial levels.
Rejecting passive responses to mounting impacts, he added:
"To falter whilst mega-droughts wreck national harvests, sending food prices soaring, makes zero sense, economically or politically."
Renewables are leading the energy transition
Stiell highlighted reasons for cautious optimism: solar and wind are now the lowest-cost power sources in about 90% of the world, and renewables overtook coal this year as the world’s top energy source. He noted that investment in renewable energy now outstrips fossil-fuel investment by roughly 2:1, reinforcing the growing momentum behind clean energy.
The opening session underscored the scale and stakes of COP30: roughly 50,000 participants and delegates from more than 190 countries will spend two weeks negotiating stronger emissions cuts, resilience measures and increased finance for adaptation. Key issues include protecting vulnerable communities from more frequent and severe droughts, storms, fires and floods, and securing funding to adapt agricultural and infrastructure systems.
Stiell’s message combined cautious optimism about the energy transition with an urgent call for accelerated action and finance to safeguard lives, livelihoods and economies from accelerating climate risks.