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COP30 climate pledges favor unrealistic land-based carbon removal over emission cuts, says report An analysis of national climate plans released today at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil warns that countries are failing to carry out core work required to reduce emissions by halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation, and are instead pushing unrealistic carbon removal schemes, such as large-scale tree planting. The Land Gap 2025 report, led by the University of Melbourne alongside a global consortium of experts, explains why countries are relying on impractical levels of land-based efforts to achieve net-zero emissions, rather than pursuing more realistic climate solutions that involve protecting existing forests and phasing out fossil fuels. While forest advocates often link the lack of action to a lack of finance for forest protection, authors say the real impediment is a global system that pits economic development against preservation. Lead author, University of Melbourne Dr. Kate Dooley, explained the new report outlines a series of reforms, many of which are already underway, that can resolve this fundamental conflict and align critical climate and biodiversity goals with economic goals. "Why are so many countries ignoring forest protection as a key pillar of climate targets? The answer is that they live in a world where heavy sovereign debt burdens and industry-friendly tax and trade policies force many of them to exploit forests to keep their economies from crashing," Dr. Dooley said. "Yet the bitter irony is that over the long term, healthy forests are essential to healthy economies due to the climate benefits, job opportunities and ecosystem services they provide." The 2025 Land Gap covers climate pledges from all countries, with updates based on new submissions to the United Nations' climate secretariat leading up to COP30 (as of Oct 31, 2025), including climate plans known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and long-term strategies for 2050. The report identified two essential flaws in national climate plans submitted for COP30. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience