Are Global Climate Conferences Creating Change Or Presenting A Show?

Forbes

19-05-2025

Cleaning the environment and reducing heat-trapping emissions are nearly universally recognized as necessary. The primary mechanism to achieve that mission is the Conference of the Parties (COP), which has gathered almost every year since 1995. The concern is how to reduce emissions and tamp down on temperature rises.
Everyone involved wants to know if these discussions are actually making a difference or just a show. The talks are complicated, with many groups representing governments, energy companies, and large businesses. However, the agreements are primarily based on an honor code, and priorities often shift, especially when new leadership comes to power. It would be unreasonable to think that the COPs have failed, although they are not ideal. Importantly, they're still essential in helping countries craft policies, engaging people in the cause, and ensuring businesses walk the walk.
'Undoubtedly, we've fallen short,' says Juan Carlos Navara, Panama's Minister of the Environment, in a virtual conversation with me. 'The world has a clear agenda about what must be done. But since it is everyone's responsibility, it is no one's responsibility. It's all talk and no action.'
Minister Navara and I have been chatting since he took over Panama's top environmental job in 2024. He's a true believer—super passionate about the climate cause and working nonstop to make a difference. He called me on his cell phone at 10:30 p.m. to share ideas. For starters, Panama is hosting a climate convention with 100 governments and a nature summit with the private sector this week to push for change and set precise dates and deadlines.
The approach will focus on forests and oceans, making their preservation an international priority. According to the Global Carbon Project, fossil fuels and industrial processes emit 36 to 40 gigatons of CO2 annually. The Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asian rainforests are the Earth's lungs, capturing CO2 in biomass and soil. Collectively, forests of all types store about 10 gigatons of CO2, while oceans absorb roughly the same amount. Consequently, about half of our CO2 remains in the atmosphere, while oceans and land temporarily sequester the rest.
The Panamanian conference will further emphasize the acceleration of clean energy, electric transportation, and emissions reduction. Prior climate talks have agreed on tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency measures by 2030. For the record, several countries, including Iceland, Norway, and Costa Rica, get all or nearly all of their electricity from renewable sources.
Climate scientists warn that we need to act fast. NASA said the world broke the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold in 2024. That means we'll face more extreme weather. 'If we solve the climate crisis, it will be because the private sector and investor community have woken up,' Juan Monterrey, Panama's National Climate Change Director, told me. 'We will set the stage and provide a model for simplifying investments in nature.'
Consider Kore Infrastructure, which has worked for two decades to convert organic waste into reliable, carbon-negative energy without combustion: The technology has already been proven in Los Angeles with SoCalGas, and is now being scaled up at one of over 250 active landfills operated by Waste Management, North America's largest waste services company.
I spoke with Cornelius Shields, who founded the company. He's attending the event in Panama this week because big tech companies have sustainability goals and need clean energy solutions. He's at the epicenter of the movement tied to the growth of data centers, artificial intelligence, and electrification. As such, he said, the most influential decision makers and investors are now in Panama.
'I'm showing up at The Nature Summit because it represents a pivotal moment for the global investment community," says Shields. For the first time, leaders of the nature-based economy—governments, innovators, and investors—are coming together at the highest level to move beyond concepts and scale real ventures that can compete in global markets. "This isn't about theory. There's a sense of urgency to build the next generation of resilient industries."
What happens in Panama will be heard in Brazil, where COP30 takes place in November. The COP process is the only global platform where almost every country, no matter how rich or how much it has polluted, join forces to discuss climate policy.
While their interests diverge, they are involved, making the talks internationally credible. Indeed, countries must measure their promises against their results. At the same time, the process also tries to help poorer countries pay the cost of limiting the damages from rising tides, droughts, and extreme weather. That's remained an elusive goal, especially getting richer countries to contribute.
However, COPs also involve companies, non-governmental organizations, and financial institutions—a collective motivator that pushes everyone to be their best. Nonetheless, the agreements are not legally binding; thus, there are no consequences if parties can't keep their word. Indeed, the gap between pledges and payoffs is notable, clearly seen in the rise in heat-trapping emissions and subsequent temperatures.
'If you want trust, you speak to all—the big, small, and poorest. You must bring all governments to the table,' says Laurent Fabius, the COP president during the famed 2015 Paris agreement.
'Thanks to the UN's climate change process, the world is no longer on a path to 5 degrees Celsius heating. That would have been a death sentence for vast parts of the planet. But we are still heading toward 2.7 degrees Celsius,' Simon Stiell, executive secretary for the UNFCCC, told me in an email.
'To correct the course, we must do the hard work now," he adds. "These new Climate Weeks, starting in Panama, are about doing just that – focusing our efforts, cutting duplication, and getting more impact for every hour and dollar spent. 'Our response to political headwinds must be emphatic: we must deliver more efficiently and inclusively. Ensuring that every conversation, every dollar, every partnership moves us closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius and greater climate resilience."
Climate conferences invite experts to discuss how to slow down the warming trend. The meetings are critical building blocks that get positive outcomes over time. While nearly everyone agrees that a heated planet is a massive problem, the diverse participants' views prevent unanimity and inhibit a quick resolution. Undoubtedly, the talks fall short of expectations, but they are transparent.
However, without COPs, coordinated climate action would be even more fragmented. The missing links are oversight and urgency, which would give international negotiations more teeth and keep temperature increases in line.
Climate Science Is Untimely And Out Of Sync With National Requirements