Humanity’s greatest challenge

There is overwhelming scientific evidence to show that human-induced climate change is the largest threat the world has ever faced, and if we do not control it, we can hasten the destruction of our home planet. Other risks humanity has caused are due to the spread of worldwide pandemics, the increasing difference between the rich and the poor, the need for safe and regulated introduction of advanced agentic artificial intelligence and potential massive devastation of military conflicts.

With climate change, it is evident that we are making progress if we decrease our carbon emissions, which are straightforward to measure. That is not the case for the other risks, which tend to be given lower priority. In December 2015, at the UN Climate Change Conference COP21, 195 countries approved the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to limit global warming emissions to below 2 °C, with efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

A decade later

Up until 2024, Europe had the most success in reducing its share of the global warming emissions, followed by North America. India’s emissions continued to rise while China’s had risen steeply. Global coordination by the UN proved impossible as individual nations had to balance spending on emission targets with the economic effects of COVID-19, increased military spending and local inflation.

Good progress was made on low-carbon technologies using solar and wind power. There was also a gradual transition to less reliance on fossil fuels for cars and some industrial processes. Less progress was made on the introduction of modular nuclear reactors, zero-carbon fuels (e.g. hydrogen), geothermal energy and carbon capture and storage. Emerging economies must also refrain from building new coal-fired power plants.

Despite all the warnings, the world has continued to emit greenhouse gases at record levels. Yet some continue to believe global warming is a hoax or inconvenient for their own, short-term aspirations. The UN is frustrated at its inability to influence the achievement of the approved targets.

2025 – what now?

This year, the UN celebrated its 80th anniversary since its formation to succeed the League of Nations, and Italy celebrated its 70th anniversary since joining the UN. Georgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, gave a 15-minute speech to the UN in which she reminded them that there are currently 56 military conflicts in the world, a “3^rd world war fought piecemeal”. Here, Meloni states that Russia had trampled over Article 2 of the UN; Israel had crossed a red line in pursuit of terrorists in Gaza, and the UN is now divided. She questioned whether the UN architecture is up to task and said a profound reform is needed, starting with the Security Council. She briefed Italy’s actions to form alliances with African countries to solve their problems, with no intent to exploit their raw materials, while respecting the environment. “In the desert, there is nothing green.”

When Meloni became PM of Italy three years ago, there was concern that Italy was moving further to the right. She has proved that she is, primarily, a pragmatist. She is not a thorn in the side of the EU like Victor Orban of Hungary. She and her Fratelli d’Italia party support NATO, Ukraine and the rule of law. Her wish is to make Italy great again and be a leading member of the EU, which must embrace both centre-right and left views, provided they support the fundamental principles of democracy. She has won the trust of Trump, while not fully agreeing with him.

The European Movement UK has also recently proposed the idea, One Earth, One Team. This new partnership with the EU to help with climate, the environment and the energy we use, the UK doesn’t ‘fall behind’ with helping to lower the damage to the Earth.

COP25 in Brazil

The Conference of the Parties COP25 was held in Belen, Brazil, on the edge of the Amazon rain forest from 11th to 21st November. It was attended by over 56,000 delegates, including 3,000 indigenous people and many from the fossil fuel industries. Notable non-attendees were “drill, baby, drill” Trump of the USA and India, who are failing to honour the Paris Agreement. China had 789 delegates.

California, as the fourth largest world economy, was represented by Governor Gavin Newsom, who gave a strong message that California has a very different view of the need for climate control than Trump and already has 2/3 of its energy source from clean energy. He emphasised that California would remain a strong and reliable partner for climate control. He is a strong contender for the Democratic Party’s US presidential election candidate.

As he was speaking, a large group of indigenous people broke into the venue to protest that their forests were not for sale. Dead tropical forests are worth more than live ones in the short term, but they are the lungs of our planet. One initiative that COP30 introduced is to create a Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) investment fund to replace voluntary donations. This will provide the US with $125 Bn to begin payouts to reward countries for forest conservation in 2026, to achieve zero % warming by 2050. A climate coalition plan will also provide incentives for decarbonisation and storage.

COP30 achievements

COP30 was a significant event, with the following key updates agreed:

• Adoption of the Official Agenda: Parties swiftly adopted the official COP30 agenda, reaffirming their commitment to the Paris Agreement and global resolve to accelerate climate action. 
• Technology and Innovation: The Green Digital Action Hub and AI Climate Institute were highlighted as key players in COP30’s vision for a just digital transformation, equipping developing nations with data, tools and training to design their own climate solutions. 
• Investment in Agriculture: Brazil, the UAE and the Gates Foundation announced US$2.8 Bn in new commitments and launched the world’s first open-source model for agriculture, aiming to empower 100 million farmers by 2028. 
• Adaptation Finance: The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage issued its first funding call, while multilateral development banks doubled support for adaptation investments, delivering over US$26 Bn to low and middle-income economies in 2024. 
• Belém Declaration on Hunger and Poverty: This declaration was launched and endorsed by 44 countries, launching a new Climate-Resilient Social Protection and Smallholder Agriculture Finance Partnership. 

These developments underscore COP30’s focus on delivery, turning commitments into tangible results for people and planet. The summit has instilled a renewed sense of optimism, proving that by elevating adaptation and unleashing technology, the world is redefining resilience and transforming vulnerability into strength.

However, a robust road map to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is opposed by many countries, which do not want commitments they cannot meet. Saudi Arabia and Russia, in particular, object, especially when the US is reviving deep-sea drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Other countries, including the UK, argue that if a compromise plan cannot be agreed upon, it will be a failure of a core objective of COP30.

My personal view

It is clear to me that, 250 years after the Industrial Revolution, we now need an Environmental Revolution. I define environment as the whole natural world, especially as affected by human activity. We are a curious species determined to learn as much as possible about the universe we live in to ensure the best chance for survival of our species. But we have reached a crossroad where our global activity and scientific knowledge could destroy our environment unless we change the course of history. We are the only species we know that understands evolution. That gives us a great moral and ethical responsibility. We can, and are, starting to control our own evolution and that of other living things, plants and animals.

It is right that we continue space exploration and will soon be able to launch heavy payloads at an affordable price using the SpaceX Starship. We may need to adapt our bodies to withstand the environment of travelling to and living on other planets. It can be done. But we must not colonise another planet until we have learnt to live in harmony with our own. It can be done.

The “great” powers now struggle to gain a monopoly of rare earth elements, oil, minerals and food products with no thought of sustainability. Why aren’t we working together to terraform the Sahara and other deserts for the benefit of humanity and other species? It can be done. If not, think about the extra migration as global warming creates more deserts. We need to listen to the indigenous people around the world who only take from the earth what they need. It can be done.

Is enough being done to prevent the damage of floods or to stop the Maldives from disappearing under the waves? It’s clear that the government prioritises other areas rather than using allocated funds to protect its nation during flooding. (e.g. Philippines). To change the course of history, we must stop the corruption and greed that make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Is it right that three white men in their seventies – Putin, Trump and Netanyahu – can cause so much strife in the world? It can be stopped.

We cannot afford to be conservative when the only thing that is constant is change. Can the “great” religions help meet our challenge, or are they part of the cause? It is humanity alone that must change to meet our greatest challenge. It can be done. I recently had the pleasure of meeting my first 6-month-old great-grandson for the first time. I wonder what the world will be like when he is my age in 2106. I remain optimistic that humanity will meet its greatest challenge.