Abstract
This overview situates the accelerating climate crisis at a pivotal historical moment, as global emissions and political inaction converge ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Increasing heat is driving planetary instability, with cascading impacts such as sea level rise, droughts, wildfires, disease emergence, and permafrost thaw.
Despite pledges under the Paris Agreement and subsequent Glasgow Pact, most nations are far off track: 2024 marked the hottest year in recorded history, CO₂ reached 429 ppm by mid-2025, and fossil fuel combustion continues to rise. Under the Trump administration, the United States withdrew again from the Paris Agreement, dismantled environmental agencies, and reversed clean-energy incentives. This regression contrasts with Europe’s relative progress and China’s dual trajectory of accelerating its clean-tech leadership while expanding coal capacity. In the Arctic, amplification effects are destabilizing global weather systems and accelerating ice loss in Greenland and Siberia, triggering methane emissions and sea level rise. In the Southern Hemisphere, Brazil is experiencing record heat, drought, and wildfires despite modest deforestation gains, while Argentina faces its worst drought in six decades and rapidly retreating Patagonian glaciers.
International climate governance stands paralyzed amid escalating disasters. Without a renewed multilateral framework and rapid decarbonization, the planet’s trajectory will soon surpass thresholds beyond human control.
Recommended Citation
Padraig O'Malley
(2025)
"COP30: A Climate Overview,"
New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 37:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol37/iss2/3