COP30 objectives align with Mumbai Climate Week initiative: UNFCC official

Mumbai Climate Week, a three-day programme (Feb 17-19), is aimed at finding out climate solutions centred around the Global South region and its economies

A few objectives from the UN Conference of the Parties (COP) that align with Mumbai Climate Week are the ideas that the climate agenda needs to be connected to people, especially the most vulnerable, and accelerating climate-action agreements through engagement with all stakeholders, a COP30 official said.

In an interview to PTI Videos at the Mumbai Climate Week (MCW), Chief Strategy and Alignment Officer for the COP30 Presidency, Tulio Andrade, stated that the opening plenary session carried a strong message that the climate transition is not only here to stay but is also a defining future trend, something also reflected at COP30.

 

"There are two objectives from COP30 that we think align with Mumbai Climate Week. First, the idea that the climate agenda needs to be connected to people, especially the most vulnerable, to combat poverty and hunger. Second, accelerating climate-action agreements through engagement with businesses, the private sector, financial centres, and other stakeholders," Andrade told PTI.

MCW, a three-day programme (Feb 17-19), is aimed at finding out climate solutions centred around the Global South region and its economies.

Speaking about Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's visit to India after the AI summit, he said that announcements around merging the climate and digital transitions into a "single revolution" can be expected.

"Both countries played key roles at COP30. The goal is to accelerate climate action, including digital public infrastructure, and how these systems and AI can speed up climate action while reaching people on the ground. We expect announcements around merging the climate and digital transitions into a single revolution," Andrade, who also served as the head for climate negotiation at Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told PTI.

He further highlighted that the sustainable biofuel agenda is a key connection between India and Brazil, as it is a major driver in transitioning away from fossil fuels.

When asked about the challenges around such joint efforts between the two nations, he mentioned the perceived dilemma between food and energy production, and the misconception that biofuels are not sustainable.

"The challenge is overcoming preconceived notions - the perceived dilemma between food and energy production, and the misconception that biofuels are not sustainable. In Brazil, however, they are a main driver for transportation. There are challenges, but it is mostly about raising awareness among stakeholders with correct information," the COP30 official told PTI.

Bruna Cerqueira, Global Climate Action Agenda Coordinator at COP30, stated that "a decisive shift took place" at COP30, that is, restructuring of the Action Agenda around six thematic axes guided by the findings of the first Global Stocktake, and the priority now is to ensure this architecture is embedded in Climate Weeks and other relevant fora.

"We are glad to see the focus on implementation - moving from commitments on paper to action on the ground. We are excited to connect what is happening here with the global movement, creating a thread between climate weeks across the world," Cerqueira told PTI.

According to the COP30 delegation, Mumbai Climate Week provides an opportunity to sustain global mobilisation and maintain implementation momentum on the road to COP31.