COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, convenes amid mounting climate crises, with the Amazon rainforest—an essential carbon sink—facing escalating threats from deforestation and warming. The summit underscores the urgent need for tangible action over dialogue, focusing on reviewing national climate plans, mobilizing $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance, advancing adaptation measures, and promoting a just transition to cleaner, equitable economies.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that negotiations alone are no longer sufficient, urging immediate implementation of climate commitments. Under Brazil’s presidency, COP30 is organized around 30 action-driven goals, each overseen by dedicated activation groups, while highlighting Indigenous leadership and inclusive participation in shaping climate solutions.
Financing the global transition is a central priority. The Baku-to-Belém Roadmap proposes strategies to mobilize resources, including strengthening multilateral climate funds, reforming taxation on polluting activities, and converting sovereign debt into climate investments. The roadmap also addresses legal barriers, such as investment treaty clauses that have allowed corporations to sue governments over climate policies, a process that has cost states $83 billion in 349 cases.
Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) is another key focus. To limit warming to 1.5°C, global emissions must decline by 60% by 2030, yet current NDCs only deliver a 10% reduction. Delegates will approve 100 global indicators to track climate adaptation progress, addressing outdated policies in 36 countries and highlighting the urgent need to increase adaptation finance twelvefold by 2035 for developing nations.
The summit also advances the Just Transition Work Programme, designed to ensure climate measures do not exacerbate inequality. Civil society advocates are calling for a “Belém Action Mechanism” to coordinate just transition initiatives and expand access to technology and financing for the most vulnerable countries.
COP30 builds on the legacy of the UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties, which over decades have established the framework for global climate mitigation, adaptation, and financing. Landmark agreements, including the Paris Agreement, COP28’s fossil fuel transition commitments, and COP29’s climate finance roadmap, have collectively averted a projected 4°C temperature rise by century’s end. Running from 10 to 21 November 2025, COP30 aims to turn commitments into concrete action to safeguard communities and ecosystems worldwide.
