COP30 came to a close two weeks ago, and as usual, there are mixed feelings on whether or not it serves the purpose it intends to. This year, we had the privilege of hearing about COP from the ground from Filipe Martin SJ (JESC), as well as receiving daily updates from our research fellow, Colm Fahy, who was there supporting the Jesuit work at COP. Colm will be writing a separate piece on his thoughts and experiences in the days to come, but we wanted to share some closing thoughts from both those who were at COP and our outsider perspective now.
‘Almost one week is gone after the end of COP30, and, like many, I still feel I am in “digesting mode”. We were more than 20 Jesuits and lay collaborators present in Belém, engaged in the different tracks of the “Jesuit for Climate Justice” campaign, from accompanying closely the negotiations to reporting daily to a global Ignatian audience, and including the participation in several side-events in the COP’s Blue and Green Zones, and in the “Peoples’ Summit”. This was the first ever global campaign organized within the Society of Jesus, and in spite of some unavoidable beginner’s mistakes, several pieces of feedback seem to show the effort was worthwhile.
As for the COP’s final texts and decisions, many experts have already written about their weaknesses and how the “implementation COP” ambitioned by the Brazilian Presidency did not match, in the end, the desired expectations. On the other hand, I cannot help recalling the general impression among many participants (teams from international NGOs, indigenous representatives, and even several official delegates), how the “momentum of change” was clearly felt, which made the resistance to change increasingly evident and isolated. We’re still well off-track of the 1,5 º C goal, and this crucial fact is enough to keep us concerned and fully engaged. But change is now clearly unavoidable, and that gives, at the end, some reason for relief and celebration.’
Filipe Martins SJDirector of the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC)
As Filipe stated, ‘change is now clearly unavoidable’, and we are at a point where either every country and its leaders step up and commit to the actions needed to meet the Paris agreement or change will be thrust upon us. Governments from the Global North consistently claim it is too complicated; but as Patricia Tahirindray, the programs coordinator of the Arrupe Centre in Madagascar, put it in the Jesuit Press conference this year:
‘Something that is impossible to ignore here at Cop 30 [is that] vulnerable countries do not lack courage or solutions. They lack space to breathe. And that space is suffocated by debt and by the lack of access to climate finance. For us, climate finance is not technical or abstract. It’s about survival and human dignity. Laudato Si reminds us that we live in a common home, yet today that home is burning for some, while others remain protected on the upper floors. Too many countries in the global south still use care resources to pay all debts instead of protecting their people. We cannot speak of ambition. While those who did not create this crisis are still paying interest on it. The only fair path is debt consolidation or debt-for-climate swaps. And please, let’s stop saying it’s complicated.
What is complicated is families displaced by floods. What is complicated is farmers losing three seasons in a row, what is complicated is schools destroyed. Roads cut off life shelters. The rest is political choice.’
Although this seems bleak, we must continue to make ‘courageous and ambitious decisions’, as they are the ‘only currency now, ecologically and spiritually’ speaking. Father Niall Leahy, Director here at JCFJ, points out that ’to keep hope alive we need to keep our eyes fixed on the better future that lies beyond these hard decisions.‘
Which is why, although COP30 left us all feeling more frustrated than hopeful, we can still see signs of hope that can keep us going in the intense journey ahead. Colm reflects on this by saying:
I wanted to close with some of Colm’s reflections from COP:
The conclusion of COP30 followed a dramatic twenty-four hours when a fire broke out at the venue on Thursday afternoon. Caused by a blown fuse, the incident briefly paused negotiations. The timing was poor; most delegations were due to depart on Saturday night, leading to a tense and dramatic rush to conclude proceedings. The final document, which was not entirely satisfactory to all and excluded a mention of a fossil fuel phase-out, was not however, a reflection of the preceding two weeks.
Inspired by faith, the Catholic Church’s strong presence offered a powerful testimony from the grassroots. Bishops spoke at side events about how their communities suffered from climate-induced disasters. Local and indigenous groups joined activist marches outside the conference. Catholic NGOs coordinated professionally to ensure their crucial messages were heard by negotiators and decision makers at the COP.
The negotiations resulted in hard-fought wins for the world’s poorest. A key achievement was approving the Belem Action Mechanism, proposed by civil society. This new, permanent body will track the global transition away from fossil fuels, providing resources and support. This ensures that workers, including miners and indigenous people, have their livelihoods considered during the shift to cleaner technologies.
I walk away from COP30 motivated and pleased, believing positive change is happening one step at a time, with the Church diligently pressing for it.
It is these small wins that we must cling to. We need to use this as fuel for the fire (no pun intended) to push for clearer, stronger changes, whether through protest or writing to your own representatives. Every action counts and no voice is too small.
