THE United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) roared into life this week in Belém, Brazil — the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
The conference will end on November 21.
For the first time, the world’s premier climate summit is taking place within one of the planet’s most vital ecosystems — a symbolic gesture that underscores the urgency of saving the lungs of the Earth.
But as world leaders, negotiators and activists gather under the banner of climate co-operation, one question looms large: will this be another talk shop?
Over the past few years, climate summits have produced stirring speeches, glossy declarations and ambitious targets — yet the planet continues to warm, glaciers melt and communities suffer. All talk is cheap; action is what the world needs.
For Zimbabwe, climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is a lived reality.
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Droughts are becoming more frequent, rains more erratic and temperatures are more extreme.
The scars of Cyclone Idai in 2019 — which left thousands dead and entire communities displaced — remain a painful reminder of our vulnerability.
Across the country, smallholder farmers are battling failed crops, water scarcity and degraded soils. Human-wildlife conflicts are on the rise.
These are not abstract environmental issues; they are existential threats to livelihoods and national stability.
This is why COP30 must not end as another exercise in fine words and hollow promises. It must deliver on many fronts.
First, there must be a clear signal of global unity. Climate change knows no borders. Every nation must reaffirm its commitment to the Paris Agreement and agree on strong, enforceable outcomes. The era of pledges without penalties must end.
Second, the conference must accelerate implementation. Many countries, especially heavy polluters, have ambitious climate policies on paper — from renewable energy targets to carbon reduction strategies — yet the gap between policy and practice remains wide.
For developing countries to come on board, they require financing, technology transfer and capacity building.
The promised US$100 billion loss and damage fund must be honoured, not recycled through accounting gimmicks or repackaged loans.
Third, climate action must be people-centred. Too often, climate debates are confined to boardrooms and conference halls. The benefits of green growth — cleaner air, renewable jobs, food security and affordable energy — must reach ordinary citizens.
Climate solutions must connect with people’s daily realities: the farmer in Lupane, the fisher in Kariba and the vendor in Mbare.
The Paris Agreement remains a landmark achievement, but its success depends on political will and genuine accountability.
The science is clear: the window to limit global warming to 1.5°C is rapidly closing. What is missing is not knowledge, but courage — the courage to act, to invest differently and to consume responsibly.
As COP30 unfolds in the Amazon, leaders must remember that the planet does not negotiate.
Every tonne of carbon emitted, every tree cut, and every opportunity wasted brings us closer to acatastrophe. The time for rhetoric is over. The world does not need another summit of speeches — it needs a summit of solutions.
If past conferences were about promises, then COP30 must be about action.
Anything less will confirm what many already suspect — that when it comes to climate action, all talk is, indeed, cheap.