UN Climate chief calls for urgent acceleration at COP30: “Paris is working-now hit the accelerator”

As world leaders and delegates gathered in Belém for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell urged nations to move “faster and bolder” in tackling the climate crisis, saying the Paris Agreement is “delivering real progress” but must now shift into high gear.

“Humanity is still in this fight,” Stiell declared in his opening address. “We’ve built the engine. Paris is working. Now it’s time to hit the accelerator – for people, prosperity, and the planet.”

Stiell, alongside COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago of Brazil, said this year’s conference must take “another major step forward” in securing deeper emission cuts, stronger adaptation measures, and fairer finance for vulnerable nations. He commended negotiators for finalizing the COP30 agenda after an intense night of talks, calling it “a very good start.”

Progress and Challenges

Citing new UN data, Stiell said updated national climate plans (NDCs)-including those submitted in recent days -would collectively reduce global emissions by 12% by 2035. “That’s a big deal,” he said, noting it marks the first time planet-heating emissions are bending downward globally.

“Every fraction of a degree of heating avoided will save millions of lives and billions of dollars in climate damage,” Stiell added, emphasizing that momentum is building as renewable energy costs continue to fall.

Renewables, he noted, are now cheaper than 90% of fossil fuels and have overtaken coal as the world’s top energy source. “Policies once unthinkable are now reshaping markets. Change is becoming unstoppable,” he said.

“Progress is real but not enough”

Despite these gains, Stiell warned that the planet is already facing severe climate impacts. “Global heating is dealing devastating blows in every country,” he said, citing “super typhoons blasting the Philippines and Vietnam” and “the brutality of Hurricane Melissa” as stark reminders of the cost of delay.

“This is why we’re here,” he told delegates. “We must accelerate – in the Amazon and beyond.”

People at the heart of COP30

In one of his most impassioned moments, the UN climate chief reminded negotiators that the COP process is “ultimately about people.”

“People may not follow every negotiation, but they feel the consequences – in food prices, insurance costs, and energy bills that rise with every drought, flood, storm, and heatwave,” he said. “They know a shallow promise when they hear one.”

Stiell called on governments to ensure that the benefits of climate action- from cleaner air to green jobs- are shared equitably. “We will only win the fight against the climate crisis if all people in all nations can get a fair piece of the epic benefits,” he said.

Looking ahead

As negotiations begin, Stiell vowed to work “side by side” with the COP30 Presidency to achieve an ambitious outcome. “The stakes are high, and the work ahead is hard,” he said. “But we know what works- policy that moves markets, finance that drives delivery, and delivery that saves lives.”

With the Paris Agreement framework now fully operational, Stiell’s message was clear: the world can no longer afford delay.

“We’ve built the engine,” he said. “Now it’s time to hit the accelerator- for people, prosperity, and the planet.”