India, Brazil Lead Climate Action as Global North Stalls: COP30 Prez

New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) The Global South, especially countries like India and Brazil, which have strong institutions and scientific expertise but also large vulnerable populations, is in a unique position to lead the fight against climate change, with developed countries failing to show the way, the president of this year's UN climate conference said on Thursday.

COP30 President André Correa do Lago, currently in India for bilateral meetings, told journalists at a press conference that Brazil aims to go beyond the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to ensure the implementation of commitments made at UN climate conferences, as many financial and governance institutions operate outside the UN system.

Correa do Lago, a former Brazilian ambassador to India, highlighted a shift in global climate leadership from the Global North to the Global South, saying that the US has "reluctance regarding this subject", while “the Europeans now have priorities regarding defence” and "other countries [are] presenting other priorities."

"The Global South has an important role to play at this stage… The South has participated in this multilateral process of rules in a very constructive way. We followed the agreements, debated a lot, but remained constructive. We accepted the Paris Agreement, etc. But the part of the (Global) North, which involved financial support and accelerating emission reductions, has not happened as planned."

"So, there is a new space for the Global South because a country like India or Brazil has, at the same time, advanced science, very strong institutions, and also parts of the population that are very poor. The Global South has to come with solutions for the fight against climate change... the North has not proven that it could show the way," he said.

He said that Brazil and India have been working together in various international groups like BRICS and BASIC to push for a "South-to-South" agenda.

Asked whether India shares Brazil's sense of urgency regarding climate action, he said that India has strong scientific institutions and is "very much conscious and vocal about the threat of climate change."

He also mentioned that India has offered to host COP33 and that both countries need to work together to ensure that the Global South has a strong and coherent position.

Regarding how Brazil plans to push countries to do more on climate action, the COP30 president said that while the Paris Agreement was negotiated with a sense of urgency, at the time, it was based on theoretical projections.

However, he said climate impacts are happening much earlier than expected "even by the most pessimistic of scientists," with 2024 being the first year to exceed 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels.

"Paris is a success… but we enter a new phase in which we have to be quicker," the veteran climate diplomat said.

On the issue of the implementation of commitments made at UN climate conferences, he said that it is about involving institutions beyond the UN.

He said that while the UN provides a monitoring mechanism, "there is no authority over other entities."

Most financial institutions are outside the UN system and their involvement is crucial, the COP30 president said.

He explained that Brazil's new climate commitment (NDC) is not just a climate plan but an "economic development plan incorporating climate change," designed to attract investment from institutions like the World Bank and the IMF.

On Brazil's COP30 priorities, he said the first priority is strengthening multilateralism, as President Lula da Silva believes a “rules-based approach” benefits developing countries.

The second priority is improving communication about climate negotiations, as there is a perception that negotiations result in lengthy documents without tangible impact.

He said there is a need to clearly explain the benefits of climate action to the public, businesses, and voters.

"We have seen that in some countries, voters are against policies on climate change. In other countries, some businesses are now thinking that it's not so good for business," the COP30 president said.