Why COP still matters and how Wales is quietly showing the way

When COP30 opens in Belém, Brazil this week, 190 countries will come together once again to discuss the future of our planet. Ten years on from the landmark Paris Agreement, this COP will be one of the most watched, and arguably one of the most controversial, climate summits in recent history.

Here Jarrad Morris, Founder and CEO of FleetEV, a Cardiff-based electric vehicle (EV) provider explores why COP still has a role to play.

It is impossible to ignore the growing chorus of voices claiming that these global gatherings have become more theatre than progress, an exercise in posturing rather than problem-solving. I understand the frustration. The pace of change hasn’t matched the urgency of the climate crisis, and the gap between ambition and action can feel discouraging.

However, despite that, COP still matters. It matters because, without shared frameworks like Paris, progress would be fragmented and inconsistent. It matters because the commitments made on the global stage give shape, structure and legitimacy to the work happening on the ground, work that, in many ways, Wales is now leading.

In 2015, 194 countries signed the Paris Agreement, committing to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. That target is now beyond our collective reach. Yet, this is not the time for despair, it’s a moment for renewed determination.

The impact of climate change is clear to us all but so too are the benefits of decisive climate action. Across the world, we’re seeing clean energy investment reach record levels, green jobs emerge in every sector, and new technologies transforming how we live and work.

Even amid political shifts like America’s dramatic withdrawal and re-entry into the Paris Agreement, and parts of Europe slowing their green ambitions, the global direction of travel is unmistakable. The clean transition is happening.

Under the Paris process nations are required to set out and update their climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The UK’s latest target is ambitious: an 81% cut in emissions by 2035.

Yet Wales, though it doesn’t attend COP as a separate entity, has gone even further. The Welsh Government has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050, a target that matches some of the world’s most progressive nations, many of whom have natural or economic advantages that Wales simply doesn’t.

This commitment is not symbolic. It’s grounded in practical, measurable action across energy, transport and resource use. Wales may be small, but it’s setting an example of what leadership looks like: bold, credible, and community-driven.

We don’t have to look far to see evidence of progress. Wales is already ranked second in the world for recycling, demonstrating how public participation and clear policy can deliver measurable impact. The country is investing in sustainable transport, encouraging electric vehicle adoption and building the infrastructure to support it.

In 2015, fewer than 1 in 100 new cars sold in the UK were electric. A decade later, that figure is closer to 1 in 5, a remarkable shift that reflects both technological advancement and a cultural change in how we think about mobility.

At my company, we’ve seen this transition firsthand. Working closely with the Welsh Government, we’re helping to accelerate the move to cleaner transport through the supply and support of electric vehicle infrastructure. Every charger installed, every fleet converted, every business that commits to cutting emissions, it all adds up.

Change is happening not because of grand declarations, but because of sustained, collaborative effort.

That is why COP30 is still important. It’s easy to be cynical about global conferences, but the reality is that these summits create the frameworks that enable action on the ground. The agreements made in Paris shaped the policies that now drive Wales’s Net Zero journey.

COP gives us something invaluable, momentum. It brings together governments, industries and innovators to share solutions and set direction. Without it, we risk losing coherence and accountability, two things essential for meaningful progress.

We do need to be honest and accept that progress isn’t fast enough but I do still believe that optimism is justifies. The economic case for clean energy has never been stronger. Public support is rising. Technology is accelerating.

Wales’s challenge now is to maintain momentum, to keep removing barriers to clean energy, to keep supporting innovation and to ensure that every community benefits from the transition.

We may not sit at the COP table as a separate nation, but our impact is being felt far beyond our borders. Wales is showing that small nations and devolved governments can punch well above their weight when vision and determination align.

As we look ahead to the next decade, one thing is clear: the story of Wales is proof that progress is possible, even in the face of complexity.

This is not just about targets, it’s about transformation. And what a time to be part of it.