Blog post
The answer might be simpler than the complexity around me suggests. The multilateral process itself matters most. These climate COPs give us the only worldwide platform to collectively dig into the climate crisis. Positions remain far apart - they have been for decades. But bridges start with talking, not walking away. The real challenge? Bending theories and plans into actual reforms and actions.
Arms spending and carbon
Today too many countries pour resources into warfare. The numbers tell a stark story: according to Climate Action Network International, every dollar spent on the military produces over twice the greenhouse gas emissions of a dollar spent elsewhere. According to the report "Estimating the Military's Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions" from the Conflict and Environment Observatory, military activity accounts for roughly 5.5% of total global emissions.
We need to include military emissions in the COP process. We need to redirect this spending. The world needs climate finance - for loss and damage, for adaptation, for resilience, for a just transition towards sustainable, equitable futures built on low-carbon economies.
Colombia leads on fossil fuels
Everyone knows we must phase out fossil fuels. It's not on this COP's official agenda, but a movement is building to address it - truly address it. At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, Colombia's leadership is particularly focused on making the Amazon a fossil fuel non-proliferation zone, prioritizing ending fossil fuel extraction in Indigenous sovereign areas and high biodiversity regions. Moreover it will host a conference next year to talk about transitioning away from fossil fuels, a decision made at COP 28 in Dubai, two years ago.
The South American country is being supported by a growing number of countries. The task won't be easy. Big fossil fuel companies have their power woven into geopolitics. But we have no alternative.
Who benefits from rare earth minerals?
Then there's the mining challenge. Building green economies requires rare earth minerals. New injustices loom: rich countries taking what they want, leaving others with nothing. Many countries in the Global South hold these resources. They must stand firm, protect what's theirs, and ensure their own people benefit.
The climate process must influence geopolitics—not the other way around. We're at a pivotal moment. As people of faith, we understand our call to stand with the most vulnerable and to be faithful stewards of creation. The conversations here at COP30 matter because they keep us collectively engaged in our time's most pressing challenge, even when answers don't come easily.
For reference: Conflict and Environment Observatory, "Estimating the Military's Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions," November 2022, https://ceobs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sgrceobestimatimg_global_military_ghg_emissions_nov22_rev.pdf
About the author :
Marijke Van Duin is a Dutch Mennonite involved in the ecumenical movement since 1995. She co-founded the European Christian Environmental Network (www.ecen.org) in 1998 and has served on the World Council of Churches Working Group on Climate Change since 2000. She is currently a COP30 observer for the WCC.
