COP 30 and the path to 2035: "Sustainability creates business value for companies"

The 30th UN Climate Change Conference, hosted in Belém, Brazil, brings together 198 parties to advance progress on global climate action 10 years after the Paris Agreement was signed. Governments are due to submit their new national climate plans outlining the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2035. The focus is also on mobilizing climate finance and accelerating the global energy transition to stay on track with the Paris Agreement’s commitment to limiting global temperature rise to well below 2°C while pursing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.

The social network for climate action We Don’t Have Time invited Annika Ramsköld, Helle Herk-Hansen, and Mattias Frumerie to a panel on 4 November. Together, the speakers discussed the urgency of the national climate pledges for 2035 to stay on track with the 1.5°C goal and the opportunities which climate action offers for European competitiveness. 

“As a leading energy company, we’re at the centre of the energy transition,” said Annika Ramsköld. “Sustainability is not off the agenda. The opposite is the case: Sustainability provides business value for companies. It’s our responsibility to show governments that businesses are committed and on track.”

In Belém, global leaders will also focus on climate financing. “Putting a price on carbon is one of the most effective ways to drive down greenhouse gas emissions” said Mattias Frumerie. “Sweden was among the first countries to introduce a carbon price. It sends a clear signal to markets.”

Helle Herk-Hansen also addressed the need for a just and-inclusive transition as “climate action must ensure that costs and benefits are shared fairly across countries, sectors, and communities”. Further than that, Herk-Hansen adds that “reaching global climate targets is impossible without protecting nature. COP 30 is held in the middle of the Amazon, the lung of our planet. It is symbolic of the fact that nature and climate are interconnected and must be treated as such at COP 30.”

This year’s COP is a rare and urgent opportunity to close the emissions gap and reaffirm global commitment to the Paris Agreement as targets are only updated every five years. “Staying on course is critical for the climate, for people and nature, and for Europe’s competitiveness” concludes Ramsköld. 

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COP 30 Website: COP 30 | UNFCCC

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