By Faridat Salifu
As the world prepares for the 2025 COP30 summit in Brazil, a critical shift in global dynamics is shaping the upcoming climate talks.
The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement underlines a growing rift in the international community over who should bear the financial responsibility for tackling climate change.
With the host nation, Brazil, leading the charge for developing countries, the summit promises to be a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle over climate finance and the transition to a greener global economy.
At last year’s COP29 in Azerbaijan, a bitter dispute between wealthy nations and developing countries over financial contributions resulted in a pledge for $300 billion annually to support climate action in the Global South by 2035.
While this is a significant increase from the current $100 billion target, it falls far short of the $1.3 trillion per year that developing countries argue is needed to adequately address the impacts of climate change and support their energy transitions.
This gap remains a key point of contention, and the absence of U.S. leadership is only expected to exacerbate the divide.
Andre Correa do Lago, Brazil’s newly appointed president of COP30, expressed concerns about the potential impact of the U.S. withdrawal.
“It was already difficult to secure $300 billion with the U.S. at the table,” he said in an interview.
Under the Biden administration, the U.S. had made significant strides in implementing policies to combat climate change, including efforts to increase financing for climate projects through multilateral development banks. Correa do Lago warned that with the U.S.
stepping back, it will be even harder to raise the necessary funds to support developing nations in their climate efforts.
Despite these challenges, Correa do Lago remains hopeful about the unity among developing nations.
These countries are determined to resist pressure from wealthy nations, particularly the European Union, which has called on major emerging economies like China and the Gulf states to contribute to climate finance.
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Developing countries have fiercely opposed this idea, arguing that it shifts responsibility away from the nations most responsible for climate change wealthy, historically high-emitting countries.
“What developed countries want isn’t to increase the financial resources, they want to lower their contribution in donating financial resources,” Correa do Lago said.
He pointed out that emerging economies, including Brazil and China, are already making substantial contributions to global climate efforts, often through their own budgets.
For example, Brazil has focused heavily on curbing deforestation, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, while China has led the charge in reducing the cost of clean energy technologies such as solar panels and electric vehicles.
Indeed, China’s investments in clean energy, particularly in reducing the cost of renewable technologies, have had a far-reaching impact, particularly in the developing world.
“China is providing infinitely more resources to the developing world by massively reducing the price of solar panels and electric vehicles,” Correa do Lago emphasized.
He argued that these investments are far more valuable to poorer nations than symbolic financial contributions that wealthy countries might offer.
In this climate of shifting priorities, Brazil is turning to the BRICS group—comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—as a potential forum for building consensus among developing nations.
With Brazil holding the BRICS presidency this year, Correa do Lago sees an opportunity to strengthen the bloc’s collective voice on climate finance and push back against calls for emerging economies to contribute more financially.
Brazil’s success in blocking a proposal at last year’s G20 summit to require emerging economies to increase their financial commitments to climate action shows the strength of this unity.
The upcoming COP30 summit will be critical in determining the direction of future climate negotiations.
As developing nations look to hold wealthy countries accountable for their historical emissions, the leadership of emerging economies like Brazil and China will be essential in shaping a fair and equitable climate finance framework.
With the U.S. out of the picture, the balance of power in global climate negotiations is shifting, and the world’s poorest countries are hoping their voices will not be drowned out in the fight for a greener future.
