During the 10 days of negotiations at COP30, the media briefly shines a spotlight on global injustices, as they play out in the nitty-gritty of the energy transition, forest conservation, carbon markets and emissions trading. The news cycle will move on, but the responsibility of caring for the planet and for all who inhabit it will remain.

It is now a decade since the Paris Agreement set the target of keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees. When COP29 drew to a close in Baku, Azerbaijan, a year ago, the global headlines were dismal: 2024 had been the hottest year on record, the multilateral process had broken down, the negotiations had been ruthlessly co-opted by fossil fuel lobbies and the most vulnerable nations had been sidelined. To have any hope of meeting the goals set 10 years ago, the UN warns that emissions need to fall by 60 per cent by 2030. The existing nationally determined contributions (NDCs) suggest the world is on track for a fall of a measly 10 per cent.

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