COP30, held this year in Belém, Brazil, has reached its halfway point, and as negotiators continue their discussions, a fundamental question hangs in the air: why do we continue to rely on global summits when the climate crisis is already unfolding in real time across the planet? From devastating wildfires and deadly heatwaves to catastrophic flooding and droughts, the climate disasters of 2025 are a stark reminder that the urgency of climate action is not a future concern—it is a present-day emergency.
At the heart of the COP30 discussions is the European Union’s ambitious climate agenda. The EU has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels) as part of its Green Deal, and to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. These targets, while bold and necessary, are still insufficient when viewed in the context of the global climate crisis. Even if the EU meets its goals, its emissions represent only a small fraction of the global total, and many European nations still struggle to phase out fossil fuels at the pace required. The EU, despite its leadership, cannot solve the climate problem alone. To make a meaningful impact, global coordination is essential—something COP30 is trying to address. Yet the world is still far from meeting the scale of action required, and in the background, the climate system is already showing signs of distress.
One of the key frameworks driving much of the discourse at COP30 is Johan Rockström’s planetary boundaries model, which outlines critical thresholds for climate stability, biodiversity, and other planetary systems. According to Rockström, seven of these boundaries have already been breached, and we are rapidly approaching irreversible tipping points. The Amazon, the region hosting COP30, is one of the most significant examples of this threat. Once a vast carbon sink, the rainforest is now at risk of shifting into a savannah-like state due to deforestation and climate change. This shift would release billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, further accelerating global warming. Rockström’s research underscores the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems: crossing one boundary often triggers cascading effects, making the task of stabilizing the climate even more difficult. The window for action is closing, and COP30’s discussions need to reflect this urgency.
The climate disasters of 2025 offer a painful snapshot of this urgency. In South America, a destructive El Niño-linked drought is impacting the Amazon Basin and other parts of the continent, threatening food security, water supplies, and energy production. Meanwhile, in Southern Europe, extreme heatwaves have become the new normal, pushing temperatures above 50°C and straining public-health systems and energy grids. Southeast Asia has experienced deadly flooding this year, displacing hundreds of thousands and causing widespread disruption to agriculture. And in North America, wildfires have once again ravaged vast regions, choking cities with hazardous air quality and forcing thousands to flee their homes. These events are not outliers—they are part of a broader trend of escalating climate chaos, and they underscore the growing disconnect between the deliberative pace of COP30 and the urgency of climate impacts being felt daily by communities around the world.
In Belém, the conversations are familiar: the need to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels, the struggle to mobilize climate finance for developing nations, and the importance of protecting critical ecosystems like the Amazon. However, the growing frustration is palpable. Despite the clear science and the lived experience of climate impacts, the pace of action often feels glacial. COP30’s discussions have yet to deliver concrete commitments that match the scale of the crisis, and the language of “ambition” often masks the reality of sluggish progress. At times, it seems that the very institutions designed to solve the climate crisis are trapped in a cycle of long-winded meetings and lofty goals, while the world continues to heat up. For many, the question is no longer whether global leaders understand the problem, but whether they are prepared to act with the speed and scale required to avoid disaster.
The frustration surrounding these global summits is understandable. Climate change is already here, and the time for more talks is running out. As COP30 enters its final stretch, the world must ask whether this summit will be different—whether it will lead to decisive action that truly matches the scale of the challenge. The climate crisis is not a problem for the future. It is a crisis unfolding before our eyes. The question is whether COP30 will rise to the occasion or whether it will be yet another round of high-level talks that fail to meet the urgency of the moment. As the world watches, we must face the reality that the stakes have never been higher, and the time to act is now.
Marta Lima, Executive in Residence for Executive Education at CATÓLICA-LISBON