The Conference of Parties (COP), often called the Parliament of Climate Change, is the UN’s annual forum for reviewing global climate action. The upcoming COP 30 will be hosted by Brazil.

Background

• Paris Agreement: The Paris Climate Change Agreement (COP 21) set a target to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
• Failure of Commitments: A decade later, the climate crisis has deepened, and multilateralism faces strain as nations retreat from commitments. 
  • The withdrawal of major emitters like the US has weakened both the Paris Agreement’s impact and global confidence.
• South Asia’s Vulnerability: South Asia, home to 2 billion people, is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. 
  • Here, climate change is a survival challenge, not a debate, driving the region’s resolve to lead global action rather than remain a passive victim.

Key Demands of South Asia’s for COP 30

• Demand for Real Action: South Asia stresses that climate action must shift from promises to actual implementation. A study shows only five percent of climate initiatives launched since 2015 have been completed.
• Collective Regional Voice: South Asia must present a united voice at platforms like the G20, BIMSTEC, and BRICS, with inclusive climate governance involving states, local bodies, and community groups. 
  • Initiatives such as India’s Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Nepal’s Sagarmatha Sambaad show how regional partnerships can advance shared resilience goals.
• Equal Priority to Adaptation and Mitigation: Developed nations focus mainly on reducing emissions, but South Asia highlights the need to also prepare for unavoidable impacts.
  • The region may experience up to two hundred extremely hot days by 2100, hence the demand for a Global Goal on Adaptation.
• Rebuilding Trust and Improving Climate Finance: Trust deficit exists because developed countries have not fulfilled the one hundred billion dollar annual finance pledge.
  • Finance must be predictable, adequate, easy to access and provided as grants rather than loans.
• Role of Non-Governmental Actors: Climate action must involve the private sector, civil society and youth, not just national governments.

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Conclusion

COP 30 must mark the shift from promises to delivery, based on trust, finance, and collaboration, especially for vulnerable regions like South Asia.

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