Climate Change Talks

Why real setback on climate isn't the one that unfolded in Brazil?

The disappointment at COP30 masks a deeper problem: weak national climate plans from major emitters, not the diplomacy in Brazil, are what threaten real progress toward meeting global emissions goals

The world lost climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new reality

Warming is going to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius. We are heading into "overshoot" within the next few years

Climate adaptation explained: What it means and why it is essential

The UN has warned that the world has missed its target to keep global warming in line with 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

COP30 wrap: 6 major takeaways from global climate negotiations 2025

Two weeks of talks in the rainforest city of Belem, Brazil, served as a rebuttal of sorts to the idea that climate multilateralism is no longer viable

Denial, geopolitics hurt climate cooperation this year: UN climate chief

As the curtains came down at the UN COP30 summit after two weeks of hectic negotiations, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said "denial, division and geopolitics" have hit hard on international cooperation this year. The UN climate talks in Brazil ended with a pledge of more funding for countries to adapt to the wrath of extreme weather. But it did not include a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels. In his statement on COP30 Climate Summit outcomes, Stiell said that the global body is probably not winning the climate battle, but parties are still in it and are fighting back with resolve. "We knew this COP would take place in stormy political waters. Denial, division and geopolitics has dealt international cooperation some heavy blows this year," he said. Stiell, however, said that the COP30 Summit showed that climate cooperation is alive and kicking, keeping humanity in the fight for a livable planet with a firm resolve to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. "H

UN climate deal boosts funds for nations but lacks fossil fuel plan

United Nations climate talks in Brazil reached a subdued agreement Saturday that pledged more funding for countries to adapt to extreme weather's wrath. But the catch-all agreement doesn't include explicit details to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen countries' inadequate emissions cutting plans, which dozens of nations demanded. The Brazilian hosts of the conference said they'd eventually come up with a road map to get away from fossil fuels working with hard-line Colombia, but it won't have the same force as something approved at the United Nations conference called COP30. Colombia responded angrily to the deal after it was approved, citing the absence of wording on fossil fuels. The deal, which was approved after negotiators blew past a Friday deadline to wrap up, was crafted after more than 12 hours of late night and early morning meetings in COP30 President Andr Corra do Lago's office. Do Lago said the tough discussions started in Belem will continue under Brazil's leadersh

India shaping growth path with climate-responsible approach: UNDP chief

India has demonstrated that economic growth and social inclusion can advance together and it is helping translate its success stories into global lessons for a more equitable world, a top official of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has said. The India growth story is not only about economic progress but also about using technology and participatory governance to ensure that development objectives are achieved and no one is left behind, UNDP's Acting Administrator Haoliang Xu said. In an interview to PTI, Xu said India's commitment to climate adaptation, renewable energy and inclusive digital finance offers a blueprint for balancing growth with sustainability. India continues to shape "development pathways" that are both economically sound and climate-responsible, he said. The UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Acting Administrator was in India on a three-day visit to strengthen and identify new areas of cooperation, including in areas of digital transformation and climate ...

India urges developed nations to meet climate finance obligations at COP30

India on Tuesday reaffirmed its firm commitment to multilateralism and equity in global climate action, and said that developed nations must fulfil their legal obligations on finance, technology transfer and capacity building to developing countries. Delivering statements on behalf of the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) and the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) groups at the opening plenary of the 30th UN climate conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, India said climate finance remains the biggest barrier to enhanced ambition, and called for a clear definition of what constitutes climate finance, along with strengthened and scaled-up public finance for adaptation. India emphasised that Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement places a binding responsibility on the developed countries to provide financial resources to the developing nations. It said adaptation finance must increase fifteen-fold to meet the needs of billions of vulnerable people who have contributed the ..

COP30 starts with call for faster action, more togetherness, but without US

UN climate negotiations were expected to begin on Monday at a meeting on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon, with leaders pushing for urgency, cooperation and acceleration after more than 30 years fighting to curb global warming by drastically reducing the carbon pollution that causes it. Andre Correa do Lago, president of this year's conference, known as COP30, emphasised that negotiators engage in mutirao, a Brazilian word derived from an Indigenous word that refers to a group uniting to work on a shared task. Either we decide to change by choice, together, or we will be imposed change by tragedy, Lago wrote in his letter to negotiators on Sunday. We can change. But we must do it together. Complicating the calls for togetherness is the United States. The Trump administration did not send high-level negotiators to the talks and is withdrawing for the second time from the 10-year-old Paris Agreement, which is being celebrated as a partial achievement here in Belem. The United States

Datanomics: Measuring India's cloud seeding scale and rainfall impact

A 2014 Beijing study found that a 1 mm increase in rainfall intensity reduced PM2.5 levels by 4-28 per cent, highlighting the potential of such interventions in improving air quality

Climate change 'will not lead to humanity's demise', says Bill Gates

In a memo, the Microsoft co-founder warned against climate alarmism and appears to have shifted some of his views about climate change

Why climate summits fail and 3 urgent ways to make them work better

We urgently need not just to redesign climate policies but also a new method for drafting those polices

Climate-linked insurance scheme: Why govt is exploring it and what's ahead

The scheme could help someone in Uttarakhand or Punjab whose house was washed away in the floods. Let's unfold the climate-linked insurance scheme and understand how it can help people

World running out of time to act on climate change, warns COP30 president

The world risks "running out of time" to act on climate change without cooperation, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago warned on Monday and stressed on the need to bridge the political and financial divide between developed and developing nations. He also criticised US President Donald Trump's reluctance to engage in climate negotiations. "We understand that President Trump is not going to listen to me. And the problem is that he does not want to talk about the emissions of specific countries," Correa do Lago told reporters. Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. This is the second time he has directed the US to exit the agreement. He had done so during his first administration and the US rejoined under the Biden administration. Correa do Lago acknowledged that climate negotiations have long been marked by a sharp divide between developed and developing nations. He said poorer countries consistently emphasise the need for wealthy nations

Global climate failure: COP30 must push developed nations on mitigation

At COP 30 this November, the primary goal must be to increase pressure on developed countries to move faster and more credibly on climate mitigation

India's distant promises: Clarity needed for Viksit Bharat, Net Zero goals

The government needs to clearly list out all the desired parameters to be covered under the Viksit Bharat goal, assign appropriate weight to each of them, and set numerical targets wherever applicable

Decoded: How human poop became Microsoft's tool to fight climate change

To offset the impact of its AI data centres, Microsoft is investing in a method which involves buying human and farm waste and piping it thousands of feet underground through a pump

World has only 3 years left to avert worst impact of climate change: Study

As more countries develop their climate plans, it's time for leaders across the globe to face the hard truths of climate science

US won't publish major climate change report on Nasa website as promised

The Trump administration has taken another step to make it harder to find major, legally mandated scientific assessments of how climate change is endangering the nation and its people. Earlier this month, the official government websites that hosted the authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate assessments went dark. Such sites tell state and local governments and the public what to expect in their backyards from a warming world and how best to adapt to it. At the time, the White House said NASA would house the reports to comply with a 1990 law that requires the reports, which the space agency said it planned to do. But on Monday, NASA announced that it aborted those plans. "The USGCRP (the government agency that oversees and used to host the report) met its statutory requirements by presenting its reports to Congress. NASA has no legal obligations to host globalchange.gov's data," NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens said in an email. That means no data from the assessment or t

A true crisis of the commons: Climate change demands global consensus

In the IAEA report on Iran in May, its director-general flagged concerns of his inspectors on certain issues, including what it describes as the "rapid accumulation of enriched uranium"