Mention COP and the World knows there will be an unusually concentrated focus on the dreaded word ‘climate’ writes Chris Dobson. All eyes and ears for that matter were focused on Belem, Brazil, for the latest COP, the Conference of the Parties organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change so that countries can negotiate on how the World responds to the climate crisis.
As I write the educated view is that the World stands at a pivotal crossroad. 2024 saw atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane reach new record levels. It was our warmest year on record, exceeding 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels and there was a large number of extreme events across the globe, including heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires.
To be clear the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) have compiled considerable data that reveals climate and atmospheric signals that have defined this last, decisive, decade.
The data produced by C3S and CAMS for the most recent COP at Belem, acts as both a collective memory of our planet and as an indicator of where our climate could be headed.
This enables governments, industries and communities to make targeted, science-driven choices – from anticipating the impacts of heat extremes and droughts in order to strengthen resilience, to assessing solar and wind intensity to plan renewable energy deployment.
This open-access science-based data ensures that the decisions made in Belém could be grounded in the reality of our planet’s systems - measurable, traceable, and quality-assured.
As Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, says: “A decade after the Paris Agreement, the world is hotter than ever – every year since has ranked among the 10 warmest on record. It’s now evident that the climate is shifting at a pace humanity has never experienced.
“But we do have one superpower in our efforts to tackle climate change – a rich supply of timely scientific data, information and knowledge, all free open and available to everyone without restrictions. It's this information that gives policy makers the power to respond with confidence and clarity in the face of rapid change.
“It is this evidence that must guide the delegates at COP30. The choices we make today will shape the planet’s future, forever. We must ensure those choices are grounded in facts.”
Laurence Rouil, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, says: “From air pollutants to greenhouse gas concentrations, our atmosphere is perhaps the most direct and immediate indicator of every action we take.
“Over the past decade, CO2 concentrations have risen over 5%, reaching their highest annual levels ever recorded. CAMS monitor their evolution and track their sources. Aside fossil fuel emissions which accounted for almost 75% of total carbon emissions in 2024, wildfires already released more than 1300 megatons of carbon in 2025, and huge amounts of particulate matter that degrades air quality and have harmful impacts on human health.
“This 10-year benchmark is not only a milestone, but also a mirror – that reflects how progress over the last decade measures up to the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. The last decade has seen significant change, and the next decade will be decisive. But knowledge is power; and delegates at COP30 have more knowledge, data and understanding of our atmosphere than ever before – we encourage them to use this to turn ambition into action.”
Florence Rabier, Director General of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), said: “ECMWF is honoured to participate at COP30 in support of the World Meteorological Organization’s Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF).
“Strengthening global observing systems is essential for building climate resilience and improving the data that underpin our forecasts and climate analyses. By helping countries generate and share higher-quality observations – particularly in regions where data are scarce – SOFF enhances the accuracy of our predictions and the reliability of early warning systems worldwide.
“The forthcoming SOFF Impact Bond will mobilise up to USD 200 million from public, private and philanthropic partners, accelerating investment in these vital observations and ensuring all nations can both contribute to and benefit from a stronger, more inclusive global network. This collaborative effort supports the goals of the Paris Agreement and advances ECMWF’s mission to provide world-leading, data-driven insights that protect lives, livelihoods and our shared environment.”
This is very much a focus on planet Earth. To narrow it down to everyday relevance I turned to a businessman whose business, Hart Industrial Doors, manufactures a wide range of industrial doors, including the highspeed Speedor which, every minute of the working day, is active across the globe.
Chairman, Douglas Hart says “our Brand Speedor is the foremost quality high speed rolling door for industrial and commercial use. We continue to beaver away making doors that reduce energy costs and improve workflow whilst improving internal environments.
“Over the last decades Speedors have been seen everywhere, each one contributing to the prevention of global warming. The concept of automation and speed applications is now widely accepted not only for small doors commonly 8M wide traveling at minimum over 500mm per second. Climate Change is a fact but another vital fact is that industry can mitigate against it.”
