25 November 2025
Hindustan Times
Op-eds
The bottom
line is COP30 kept climate conversation alive in a fractured world. It has
brought forth strategies and stakeholders we have long ignored
Getting nations
to agree to the phase-out of fossil fuels is as hard as doing it. After it took
28 COPs to raise the issue, this summit failed to agree on laying out a road
map, despite the Presidency putting it on the negotiating table. (AFP)
COP30, which
concluded in Brazil on Saturday, was never about what to do to address the
climate threat — that is already known. It was about how to make it happen,
about turning promises into progress amid wars, trade chaos, and rising
self-interest of nations.
There are
six truths of climate action today.
Momentum has survived the US exit
from Paris Agreement: The US under President Donald Trump walked away from the
landmark climate accord and on doing anything on climate. Yet climate action
didn’t collapse. Leaders showed up, commitments held, and Brazil’s presidency
kept the show on the road. Momentum matters on global issues such as climate —
it drives investment and signals resilience.
Transition to
clean energy lags, but other long-ignored climate priorities get attention: A total of 115 nations have already filed
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Commitments to do more have
increased on the back of strong deployment of renewables so far. We’re headed
for a doubling of renewables by 2030, not the tripling agreed two years ago at
COP28. There’s a bright spot here: $6 billion has been committed for conserving
forests and oceans. These natural sinks absorb half our emissions and oceans
swallow 90% of excess heat.
Fossil
fuel phase-out hits a wall again: Getting nations to agree to the
phase-out of fossil fuels is as hard as doing it. After it took 28 COPs to
raise the issue, this summit failed to agree on laying out a road map, despite
the Presidency putting it on the negotiating table. Transition must balance
dialling down fossil fuels with scaling alternatives and coordinating
production-cuts for cash-cow resources. This will be slow and complex, and
demands unprecedented cooperation among competing interests. It needs to start
now. Future COPs, or even alternative platforms, must tackle this head-on.
Adaptation finally gets a seat,
but a small one: The developed countries promised to triple finance by 2035 for
infrastructure and early warming systems communities and developing countries
need to deal with climate crisis impacts. This sounds good, but it’s late,
vague, and still insufficient. For countries drowning in floods and droughts,
this is survival, not charity. Wealthy nations must step up — talking timelines
while communities sink is indefensible.
India’s rising
influence, and rising risks: Leveraging its excellent performance in putting renewables
on ground, India played hardball, calling out weak ambition from developed
nations. India also pushed hard for more financing for the developing
countries. This stance is vital: The world needs stronger emission reductions
and finance in the next five years, not a complacent acceptance of the status
quo. This is work in progress and will continue. But risks loom too: COP agreed
to a two-year process to discuss trade. But in effect, the EU’s carbon tariffs
will hit our exporters in 2026, undermining competitiveness. The trade deal
with the EU that is under discussion is now the main platform to tackle this
issue.
Geopolitics
rules, but business must have a seat at the negotiating table: With the US out of the picture, COP30 mirrored
global power plays — emerging alliances, and thorny issues such as trade, critical
minerals, climate finance kicked down the road until the wider trade deals and
geopolitical realignments take shape. However, the dynamic between developed
and developing nations seemed better balanced. The elephant in the room?
Governments can’t deliver alone.
As co-chair of
the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, the world’s largest coalition of corporate
leaders on climate, it is clear to me that business isn’t just a financier,
it’s the engine for green hydrogen, carbon capture, and resilient
infrastructure. But business was largely missing at COP30. The private sector
lacks a formal seat at the table. We need business in negotiations to drive
action — with accountability, not just applause.
The bottom line
is COP30 kept climate conversation alive in a fractured world. It has brought
forth strategies and stakeholders we have long ignored and kept the doors open
to deal with more thorny issues. An agreement on several issues has been
reached after intense negotiations, and this is much better than having no agreement
at all. One hundred and ninety countries demonstrated that they were still in
the climate crisis fight — we may not be winning it yet, but we’re not giving
up either. And that’s a win in these times. Judging it just by headline numbers
that we are so used to, in terms of emission reductions or climate finance
would be a mistake.
Sumant Sinha is
founder, CEO and chairman, ReNew. The views expressed are personal
