Is COP30 Worth It?

It’s a question that has been hanging off a very delicate balance over the last few years: is the Conference of the Parties (COP) truly worth it? This year, the COP30 is taking place in “heart of the Amazon,” Belém, Brazil.

Each year, over a hundred countries invest heavily to send leaders and delegates to discuss ways to tackle climate change and limit ocean temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees.

Yet, the world is already off track to meet the decade-old Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree target, with global temperatures rising sharply over the past few years.

At the forefront are developing nations, pleading for stronger action, carrying evidence of inaction while bearing the brunt of climate impacts far more than the countries responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.

Minister of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation, Andre Perez, reflected on his experience at COP21, saying that although he did “learn a lot,” Belize has to “pick its places.”

Conferences and initiatives must allow resources to yield more than days of talks that sometimes produce little tangible action, as the 29 previous COPs have shown.

“It doesn’t make sense for us to have a whole entourage to go there to Brazil. Certainly we have to be strategic,” Perez said. “I’m happy that the people from Belize are there… But I believe that my ministry can allocate our energy and resources elsewhere.”