6: Global Climate Governance at COP30: Drift and Inadequacy

• The \'Belém Outcome\': Held in Brazil in November 2025, COP30 concluded with the \'Baku to Belém Roadmap,\' aiming to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate action in developing nations. However, it lacked a clear, binding timeline for a fossil fuel phase-out. • Widening Finance Gap: The 2025 Adaptation Gap Report highlighted that developing nations need $310–$365 billion annually by 2035, while current flows remain stagnant at approximately $26 billion, creating a \'yawning gap\' that threatens global South economies.• Emissions at an All-Time High: Global emissions reached a record 57.4 GtCO2e in 2024. Current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) put the world on a path toward 2.3°C–2.8°C warming, far exceeding the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement. • Institutional Challenges: The UNFCCC process is increasingly criticized for \'process over action.\' The unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement in early 2025 further weakened the collective leverage of the forum. • Operationalizing Equity: India and other developing nations successfully pushed for the Just Transition Mechanism, but \'Common But Differentiated Responsibilities\' (CBDR) remains a point of contention as developed nations push to shift the mitigation burden. • Loss and Damage Fund: While the fund is operational, its capitalization remains \'paltry\' compared to actual needs. COP30 failed to establish a mandatory replenishment cycle, leaving it reliant on voluntary \'pledge-diplomacy.\' Key Definitions & Provisions • GtCO2e: Gigatonnes of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent; a standard unit for measuring carbon footprints from different greenhouse gases. • CBDR-RC: Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities; a principle within the UNFCCC that acknowledges different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries in addressing climate change. • Article 6 (Paris Agreement): Relates to carbon markets. COP30 made progress on the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) to allow countries to trade emissions reductions. Conclusion COP30 underscored the reality that global climate governance is struggling to keep pace with ecological tipping points. For India, the outcome reinforces the need for \'domestic climate resilience\' and self-funded adaptation, as international finance remains unpredictable. UPSC Relevance • GS Paper 3: Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation; International environmental conventions. • GS Paper 2: Bilateral and global groupings/agreements affecting India\'s interests. • Prelims: Major reports (Emissions Gap Report, Adaptation Gap Report); UNFCCC structure; Terms like \'Net Zero\' and \'Just Transition.\'