  Climate and environment

The 30th World Climate Conference (COP30) ended on Saturday in Belém, Brazil. A voluntary platform outside the COP committees to speed up progress on climate protection and a new rainforest protection fund were set up, but no consensus on an action plan was reached. Concrete targets for moving away from coal, oil and gas also failed to materialise. Europe's press takes stock.

The EU environment ministers have agreed to stick to the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 90 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2040. However, member states can use international carbon credits to account for up to five percent of their reduction targets. Europe's press sees this as a watering down of climate targets, and discusses the outcome with an eye to the COP30 World Climate Conference starting next week in Belém, Brazil.

The EU's climate policy is under pressure: several member states are opposing the bid to set specific climate targets for 2035 and 2040. As a result, the bloc failed to reach a deal at yesterday's summit. In the run-up to the meeting, no less than 79 industrial companies had lobbied against emissions certificates, which they argued were too expensive. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 academics have warned that scientific findings must not be ignored in the debate.

Spain is experiencing a summer of extremes: wildfires have burned through 350,000 hectares of land and forced thousands to flee their homes in rural areas, while city dwellers are enduring temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius. Commentators see the country experiencing the life-threatening consequences of the climate crisis and urge the political leadership to agree on a cross-party state pact.

The world's biggest asset manager Blackrock has announced that it is withdrawing from the climate group Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative (NZAMI). The initiative brings together investment managers who are committed to the goal of a climate-neutral economy by 2050 and invest in 'green' industries. Commentators discuss whether this is symptomatic of a new global trend.

The devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area are still only partially under control: at least 24 people have died, hundreds of thousands have been evacuated and thousands of homes and buildings have been burned to the ground. The LA Fire Department has described it as "one of the most destructive natural disasters" in the history of the Californian metropolis. Commentators see different causes, dangerous narratives and numerous necessary consequences.