The president of COP30 has written to countries to ensure that the new nationally determined contributions (NDCs) will be submitted after only 28 have so far arrived and around four-fifths of the membership of the Paris Agreement have yet to come forward.

Those so far missing include the EU and China, with the 25 September deadline fast approaching, and the data required to generate the UN’s ‘synthesis report’, the benchmark of how far away the goal of limiting climate change to 1.5C remains.

André Corrêa do Lago, the Brazilian diplomat wrote a sixth letter ‘from the presidency’ starting with obvious annoyance that progress is slowing: “Back in 1992, no one could have imagined we would achieve so much – and yet find ourselves today so close to frustrating the ultimate objective of the Convention, to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.”

He continued: “At SB62 [the subsidiary bodies meeting] the incoming COP 30 presidency listened carefully to you, the parties, that COP30 must respond to how our nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in aggregate effectively promise humanity a safe, prosperous, and sustainable future. I have also noted outstanding divergences on the form and scope of our response to the NDCs and the synthesis report to be published by the UNFCCC Secretariat in October. Those divergences can and must be bridged, and I am determined to provide all conditions for frank, open, and creative dialogue towards this end.”

Yet COP30 finds itself being held against a less optimistic and more fragmented global community, torn by war, energy needs, political change and cynicism towards some countries and companies claims.

The irony being that these events are only likely to accelerate without a grip on climate change, and still the geopolitical and socioeconomic challenges make resolving the issue more difficult. A vicious circle not easily squared.

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