The UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) officially opened on 10 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, with a much-anticipated start led by Prince William and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week. Over the coming days, we’ll hear opening remarks from global leaders including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
But there’s a shadow over the event: two major absentees, the United States and China. This raises a critical question: can a meaningful deal be reached without the world’s two largest economies at the table?
Public Concern: Climate Change Slips Down the Agenda
Interestingly, climate change isn’t even in the UK’s Top 5 public concerns, trailing behind the cost of living, the NHS, the economy, immigration, and crime.
Is this realism or short-termism? Probably a bit of both.
Here’s the truth: if we fail to invest in climate action now, those same concerns will worsen:
- Cost of living – Extreme weather will disrupt food sourcing, driving prices up.
- Health – Climate-related displacement will impact human health and strain healthcare systems.
- Immigration – Rising sea levels and flooding will force mass migration.
- Economy – Huge investments will be needed to protect land and infrastructure.
- Crime – Economic pressures and food insecurity could fuel social unrest.
The concerns are the same, just viewed through a different lens.
Is It Time for Great Britain to Lead?
Great Britain may not have the economic weight of the US or China, but it can lead through partnerships. By forging alliances and driving collaborative action, Britain can influence global momentum and encourage renewed engagement from the superpowers.
We cannot afford to sit back and wait until climate change devastates health systems and economies. COP30 is a critical moment, ten years after the Paris Agreement, to:
- Accelerate implementation of existing pledges.
- Prioritise nature and biodiversity, leveraging the Amazon’s unique role.
- Make concrete progress on climate finance.
- Keep the 1.5°C global warming limit alive.
Aura’s Perspective
At Aura, we’ve long recognised the link between global warming, the Paris Agreement, and the packaging industry’s role in carbon emissions. A few years ago, we created an e-book – Essential Packaging Guide to The Paris Agreement: Scope 1, 2 and 3 Carbon Emissions, and it remains highly relevant today. [Download the e-book here].
If you want to understand your environmental impact and how packaging can help reduce carbon emissions, get in touch, we’d love to help.
Stay Tuned
Watch out for more blogs and updates from Aura as COP30 unfolds over the next two weeks. This is a pivotal time for climate action, and for all of us.
