COP30 brings the stakes, money and climate urgency into sharp focus

People take part in a lantern demonstration organized by Fridays for Future Berlin in the city center, showing solidarity with activists worldwide during the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, on November 14, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. [AFP]

The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) opened last week in Belém, Brazil, with nearly 200 countries gathering to debate how to slow dangerous global warming.

For two weeks, the city known as the “gateway to the Amazon” will host heated talks on fossil fuels, forests, and climate finance.