COP30 in Belém – Turning Commitments into Action

The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, took place from November 10 to 21, 2025. As the first COP to be hosted in the Amazon, the conference will spotlight connections between climate, biodiversity, food systems, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The first Conference of the Parties (COP) was held in Berlin, Germany, in 1995. The UN climate conference brings together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organisations, and civil society to discuss priority actions to tackle climate change. COP30 will focus on the efforts needed to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C, the presentation of new national action plans (NDCs), and progress on the finance pledges made at COP29.

What to expect for this year’s COP?

COP30 is known as the “Implementation COP” because the conference is expected to translate countries’ climate commitments and ambitions into actions. The conference is also the first COP to take place just a year after Copernicus announced that the average global temperature has shot past 1.5°C above its pre-industrial level over a calendar year.

Speaking at the Plenary of Leaders of the Belém Climate Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres was blunt: “It’s no longer time for negotiations. It’s time for implementation, implementation and implementation.” (COP30 kicks, 2025).

The Global Stocktake – a critical assessment of climate change efforts under the Paris Agreement, to see where progress is made and where it is not, will guide actions on six key areas:

1. Keeping the 1.5°C alive. The summit will emphasise that the 1.5°C temperature limit is still open but is narrowing. It will focus on countries of new nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – how much their national plans are increasing their ambition.
2. Climate adaptation and resilience. Developing countries are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The summit will focus on how countries can plan and protect themselves from extreme weather and rising sea levels. The Adaptation Gap Report 2025 estimates the cost of climate adaptation finance needed in developing countries at over US$310 billion per year in 2035; however, current adaptation finance is just US$26 billion in 2023, far short of what is needed. The summit will spotlight several efforts to combat climate change, including the flagship effort led by Brazil and the UNEP-led Cool Coalition, and the Beat the Heat Implementation Drive, designed to support local-level solutions to extreme heat and scale up the use of sustainable cooling solutions (cool roofs, urban green spaces, early warning systems). Brazil’s “Bairro do Mutirão para Cidades, Água e Infraestrutura” Neighbourhood at COP30 showcases solutions to decarbonise buildings, promote sustainable cooling, and foster a just transition, including through the Buildings & Cooling Pavilion, powered by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) and the Cool Coalition under UNEP.  
3. Climate finance. At the heart of talks in Belém will be the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap Report for $1.3 Trillion, prepared by the COP29 and COP30 presidencies. It sets out five priorities for mobilising resources, including boosting six multilateral climate funds, strengthening cooperation on taxing polluting activities, and converting sovereign debt into climate investment – a move that could unlock up to $100 billion for developing countries to help them adapt, and advance a ‘just transition’ to cleaner economies. Without urgent action, UNEP’s “Emissions Gap Report 2025: Off Target” warns that global temperatures could rise by 2.3°C to 2.8°C by the end of the century, leaving vast regions uninhabitable due to flooding, extreme heat, and ecosystem collapse.
4. Forests, biodiversity, and nature-based solutions. Because COP30 is held in Belém, an Amazonian region, it underscores the Amazon’s role as both a vital carbon sink and a frontline in the fight against deforestation and climate change. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility is a timely and transformative mechanism that pays countries to keep forests standing through blended finance. Working alongside jurisdictional REDD+, it can provide more than half the funding needed to protect and conserve the world’s tropical forests and the communities that depend on them.  
5. Just transition, equity & inclusion. With the growth and affordability of renewables and methods to tackle methane, a short-lived GHG and the second-biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, the summit emphasises that climate action must be fair, inclusive of Indigenous communities and local populations, and avoid reinforcing inequalities.
6. Implementation & governance. With significant commitments now on the table, the focus is shifting to implementation. Negotiators will face mounting pressure to agree on indicators to measure climate adaptation action and set a clear roadmap for scaling up climate finance. As the President of COP 30, Brazil has indicated its aim to have the global community reinforce multilateralism, connect climate action to people’s daily lives, and accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is an annual event for countries that have joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to gather, assess progress, and negotiate multilateral responses to climate change. Today, there are 198 Parties to the Convention.

COPs have created global milestones for the climate movement, setting standards and advancing action, including on reducing carbon emissions, accelerating a global energy transition, and helping countries adapt and build resilience to compounding climate issues. COPs are crucial for bringing governments together and mobilising the private sector, civil society, industry, and individuals to tackle the climate crisis (UN Climate, n.d.).

Get updates, events, and live streams from COP30.