Ten years after the Paris treaty, what point do climate talks serve—and are they getting anywhere?

A process under strain

At last year’s climate summit in Belém, Brazil kept national emissions plans off the negotiation agenda, arguing that governments should handle them themselves. The summit reached a deal, but few were satisfied, and the dispute has deepened doubts about the talks.

The Paris agreement’s key temperature goal has been missed, and the process requires decisions by consensus. The article says that rule allows countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela to block measures; the United States has also withdrawn from the agreement under President Donald Trump.

The widening climate gap

The pace of global warming has increased from 0.2C per decade in 2015 to 0.4C per decade today, and continues to accelerate. Rockström warned that the 1.5C limit would be crossed within three to five years and said current policies point toward warming of 2.6C to 3C.

Rockström described the situation as a global failure. By contrast, Monterrey called Paris a “moral compass,” saying it had established a direction even though progress was too slow.

Action beyond the summits

This year’s Cop31 will be held in Turkey under an Australian presidency, a split arrangement described as a compromise. Both countries share an admiration for coal, according to the article. After Cop30 in Brazil failed to issue a strong statement on phasing out fossil fuels, nearly 60 countries met in Colombia in April. They agreed to develop national roadmaps for a “transition away from fossil fuels.”

Signs of support remain

Political developments have offered some encouragement: the US midterms dealt a blow to the right, while democracy prevailed over authoritarianism in Serbia and Hungary. The article also says a large majority of people worldwide support climate action.

Cutting methane by 40% could limit warming by about 0.3C over the next decade. Deeper reductions could bring a 0.5C decrease by 2100, according to the article.