How to resolve the dilemma of climate action and development

In an op-ed published in Sustainable Views, HEC Paris Business School professor François Gemenne proposes a new classification system for countries to break the deadlock in climate negotiations ahead of COP30. Based on a study correlating CO₂ emissions and the Human Development Index, he argues for replacing the outdated industrialised/developing divide with three tiers of transformation capacity. This approach aims to reconcile development and climate action by showing that, beyond a certain development threshold, emissions can stabilize or decline without compromising wellbeing.