SINGAPORE - On Nov 22, negotiators left UN climate conference COP30 in Brazil with another watered-down deal, amid a year of record heatwaves, deadly storms and geopolitical tensions.

Following two weeks of talks in the Amazonian city of Belem, COP30 ended nearly 27 hours late. The discussions were fraught with disagreements over fossil fuels and finance, but 194 countries at the annual summit finally came to an agreement on the path forward for climate action.

The outcome from the annual UN climate summits is significant as it marks a political commitment from most of the world to pursue actions to tackle climate change. What appears in the text – and what does not – sends a message on what countries are willing to do to limit global warming.

The Straits Times looks at the bittersweet implications of COP30 for developing South-east Asia.

Adaptation refers to actions that help reduce people’s vulnerability to climate impacts, such as building sea walls to keep out rising tides.

At COP30, one of the key expected outcomes of the event was for countries to agree on

a set of indicators