Sky News Daily Is the Brazil climate conference a COP out?
Nov 5, 2025
Tom Clarke, the science and technology editor for Sky News, provides deep insights from the COP30 summit in Brazil. He discusses the significance of the Amazon and Brazil's vested interests in climate action. With major polluting nations absent, he questions the relevance of the conference. Tom highlights the ongoing deforestation, economic pressures on the Amazon, and the dual roles of China in fossil fuels and clean energy. While expectations for tangible results are low, he sees potential progress in forest protection financing.
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What COP Actually Is
- COP is an annual UN process for countries to negotiate emissions cuts and climate finance.
- The system has driven global dialogue but has struggled to meet binding targets over three decades.
Visiting The Amazon
- Tom describes visiting the Amazon and being struck by its vast scale and biodiversity.
- He contrasts that with ongoing deforestation driven by agriculture and cattle, which economic incentives currently favor.
Forests And Adaptation Are Central
- COP30 will focus heavily on forests and adaptation to warming that's already locked in.
- Adaptation is moving from a secondary topic to a central priority because mitigation alone won't avoid significant warming.