3 h. ago UN climate conference nears conclusion with critics unhappy over proposal

United Nations climate talks are nearing a conclusion, but the outcome might disappoint those seeking stronger action against fossil fuels

Politics

3 h. ago Cop30 live: ‘Clown show’ talks run into overtime with no clarity on climate deal

Negotiations ran late last night, and as delegates begin to leave the outcome of the summit remains unclear Civil society campaigners from the developing world have accused the rich countries of spreading “duplicitous narratives” over their role in the Cop30 climate talks over the past fortnight.As the talks in Belém, Brazil, passed the deadline for their resolution on Friday, European countries indicated they would walk away from any deal that did not include a commitment for “roadmap” to phase out fossil fuels.The world lost the climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new realityTen years ago the world’s leaders placed a historic bet. The 2015 Paris agreement aimed to put humanity on a path to avert dangerous climate change. A decade on, with the latest climate conference ending in Belém, Brazil, without decisive action, we can definitively say humanity has lost this bet. Continue reading...

Society

26 h. ago At UN climate conference, some activists and scientists want more talk on reforming agriculture

Many of the activists, scientists and government leaders at United Nations climate talks underway in Brazil have a beef: They want more to be done to transform the world’s food system

Politics

27 h. ago ‘It’s like arguing with robots’: negotiators on the state of Cop30 talks

Three representatives of developing countries speak candidly about meetings behind closed doors in BelémCop30 – latest updatesIn the negotiating rooms at the Cop30 climate conference, representatives from vulnerable countries work to get the best deal they can. Here, three of them reveal what happens behind closed doors. Continue reading...

Politics

35 h. ago As I write my last column, the facts on climate crisis speak for themselves

Since 1995, when the first Cop was held, carbon levels have increased from 360.67 parts per million to 426.68 parts nowIn 1995, when the first “conference of the parties” (Cop) of the UN’s climate change convention met in Berlin, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 360.67 parts per million. The then German chancellor, Helmut Kohl, gave a passionate speech about how greenhouse gases must be reduced to save the planet from overheating. There was a relatively unknown East German woman, the environment minister, Angela Merkel, chairing the conference. She was red hot at keeping order. The UK journalists concluded she would have a bright future.Immediately after the conference I was commissioned to write a book about climate change called Global Warming: Can Civilization Survive? It sold well and was the first of several. Continue reading...

Events

52 h. ago The two extraordinary young activists making me feel optimistic at Cop30

In today’s newsletter: Despite valid criticisms, the summits are filled with smart, passionate people dedicating their lives to fighting the climate crisis• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt is easy to criticise the UN climate conferences. But unless you’ve been, there’s one wonderful, almost miraculous, thing that you may not be aware of: it is a beautiful gathering of humanity, people from virtually every country on Earth, all thrown together in common cause.What’s more, many are incredibly smart, passionate and dedicating their lives to fighting the climate crisis. The more of them you meet, the more your hope grows that global heating can be defeated.Trump’s anti-climate agenda could result in 1.3m more deaths globally, analysis findsTropical cyclone Fina intensifies to category two and could hit NT coast on FridayEngland’s Beth Mead: ‘If we don’t adapt to climate change, football becomes a privilege, not a right‘ Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago Australia’s failed bid to host Cop31 looks like a mess – but it may actually be the best result possible | Adam Morton

While the outcome is a let down for those who want Australia to do better on climate, Chris Bowen looks set to play a pivotal role in the UN talksSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereOuch. From one perspective, Australia’s long-running bid to host the Cop31 UN climate conference next year has ended in clear failure.It campaigned for more than three years for the rights to put on the world’s biggest climate summit and green trade fair, which would have brought tens of thousands of people to the South Australian capital of Adelaide next November. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago ‘Without our expertise, mistakes get made’: the Cop30 campaign to give workers a voice

In this week’s newsletter: The green transition’s effect on workers is a hot topic, as advocates push for those working at the frontlines to have a say in climate policy• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWe know that to avert the worst effects of the climate crisis, the world must reshape fundamental aspects of society – from how we eat and move around to how we turn on the lights and build homes. The transformation of energy, manufacturing, construction, agriculture and transport is creating millions of new jobs. But it’s also disrupting old roles in polluting industries.The green transition’s effect on workers around the world is a hot topic at this year’s Cop30 climate conference here in Belém, Brazil. More on what labour and climate justice advocates are demanding, after today’s headlines.$170,000 a minute: why Saudi Arabia is the biggest blocker of climate actionClimate crisis or a warning from God? Iranians desperate for answers as water dries upFlo...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘This is survival’: Jamaica leads calls from vulnerable nations at Cop30

Countries including Mauritius and Cuba reiterate life-or-death nature of cutting emissions, calling it ‘a moral duty’Cop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of climate talks in BrazilJamaica has led calls from vulnerable nations at the Cop30 climate summit to urge immediate action on climate breakdown as the conference entered its second week.As high-level ministers from governments around the world took over negotiations in Belém, Brazil, vulnerable nations lined up to say how important it was that wealthier countries cut emissions in order to limit the worst effects of global heating. In addition, they renewed a longstanding call for rich nations to do more financially to help poor countries deal with warming. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Cop30: calls for new urgency to talks as studies show global warming may reach 2.5C – latest updates

As the summit goes into its second week, complex issues with anxiety growing over conference outcomesA spectacular demonstration by tens of thousands of climate, nature and land activists in Belém this weekend has set the stage for the second week of COP30 negotiations, when organisers hope the energy from the streets can be channeled into the conference halls.Monday and Tuesday mark the transition to the political phase of the negotiations, when ministers fly in to grapple with the issues that were too thorny for their bureaucrats to handle. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Labour government sends 210 delegates to Brazil's COP30 climate conference generating more than 2.5million air miles (while the world's biggest polluters all happily stay at home)

Opposition parties rounded on the government over the numbers sent to South America and the size of the entourage, which will create an estimated 500 tonnes of CO2.

Society

7 d. ago Cop30 live: ‘If we continue destroying everything on this earth there will be chaos,’ warns Indigenous chief

Earlier on day five of the climate summit, activists blockaded the main entrance demanding to speak to the Brazilian presidentNorway and the United Arab Emirates - both significant fossil fuel producers - are among the ministerial pairings announced by the Brazilian Cop30 Presidency. The task of the pairings is to consult with countries on specific issues and report their views back to the presidency, to help the negotiations progress.The ministers from Norway and the UAE will work on the “global stocktake”, the strand of the talks about the big gap between the carbon emissions cuts needed and the real world. At its heart is cutting fossil fuel emissions, which makes it a target for obstruction by petrostates. The UAE hosted Cop28 in 2023, which delivered the first ever mention of fossil fuels in a Cop outcome.Gambia and Germany, working on adaptationEgypt and Spain, working on mitigation, i.e. cutting emissionsMexico and Poland, working on just transition, i.e. making the switch to...

Events

8 d. ago Protesters blockade Cop30 summit over plight of Indigenous peoples

Munduruku people demand to speak to Brazil’s president, saying they are never listened toCop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of the climate talks in BrazilProtesters blockaded the main entrance to the Cop30 climate conference for several hours early on Friday morning, demanding to speak to Brazil’s president about the plight of the country’s Indigenous peoples.About 50 people from the Munduruku people in the Amazon basin blocked the entrance with some assistance from international green groups, watched by a huge phalanx of riot police, soldiers and military vehicles. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Cop day 5 live: Indigenous activists blockade the summit centre as climate conference continues

As the climate conference goes into its fifth day, with huge amounts still unresolved, there were reports that activists had blockaded the entrance to the centreNorway and the United Arab Emirates - both significant fossil fuel producers - are among the ministerial pairings announced by the Brazilian Cop30 Presidency. The task of the pairings is to consult with countries on specific issues and report their views back to the presidency, to help the negotiations progress.The ministers from Norway and the UAE will work on the “global stocktake”, the strand of the talks about the big gap between the carbon emissions cuts needed and the real world. At its heart is cutting fossil fuel emissions, which makes it a target for obstruction by petrostates. The UAE hosted Cop28 in 2023, which delivered the first ever mention of fossil fuels in a Cop outcome.Gambia and Germany, working on adaptationEgypt and Spain, working on mitigation, i.e. cutting emissionsMexico and Poland, working on just tr...

Politics

9 d. ago Leonardo DiCaprio pays tribute to the 'absolutely unstoppable' Jane Goodall at the late conservationist's funeral

The Oscar-winning actor, who had just returned from the COP30 conference on climate change in Brazil, got to know Goodall through his own environmental conservation work.

Economics

9 d. ago Photos show Indigenous participants at the People's Summit held alongside the COP30 climate meeting

While delegates at a U.N. conference discussed how to fulfill past promises on fighting climate change, a boisterous gathering focused on the same topic from a very different perspective was taking shape.

Culture

9 d. ago A flotilla kicks off the People's Summit for activists at UN climate talks

As United Nation climate talks get underway in Belem, a different kind of conference is kicking off: the People’s Summit, a gathering of activists, organizers, environmentalists and Indigenous groups from around the world

Politics

1 week ago Climate change is in the news during COP30. We've got tips to tackle your climate anxiety

Global leaders have descended upon Brazil for COP30, and with the conference often comes a lot of negative news that evokes climate anxiety and dread

Politics

1 week ago Tussles break out between protesters and security at Cop30 in Brazil

Dozens storm venue at climate conference that has encouraged NGOs and Indigenous groups to play unprecedented role in talksThere were tussles between protesters and security guards at the Cop30 climate talks late on Tuesday night, when a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people stormed the conference centre in Belém.Several dozen men and women, some in brightly coloured feather headdress, ran through the entrance, pushing at least one door off its hinges, before striding through the metal detectors and entering the Blue Zone. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Trump abandoning the climate opens door for China, says Paris deal chief

As the Cop30 climate conference opens in Brazil and 10 years after the key deal she brokered, Christiana Figueres speaks to Nick Ferris about why Beijing is stealing a march on the West when it comers to renewable energy – and why she is confident that the US will eventually return to the climate fold

Politics