COP 30 in Belém: The Amazon’s Climate Moment

The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is set to take place in Belém, Pará, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025. This summit is widely anticipated to be one of the most consequential climate events since the Paris Agreement, not least because of its location: the gateway to the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon.

Aim and Significance of COP 30

The primary aim of COP 30 is to accelerate global action and bridge the critical gap between current emission reduction pledges and the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. Coming five years after the updated round of national pledges (Nationally Determined Contributions - NDCs) in 2020, the Belém summit will serve as a major inflection point where nations are expected to submit their subsequent, even more ambitious NDCs for the post-2025 era.

The unique objectives of COP 30 are deeply tied to its Amazonian setting:

• 1. Integrating Nature and Climate: To firmly establish the link between biodiversity conservation and climate stability, leveraging Brazil’s role as a megadiverse country.
• 2. Sustainable Bioeconomy: To showcase and promote a model of development for the Amazon that prioritizes conservation, socio-economic inclusion, and utilizing forest resources without destroying them (the Amazon Bioeconomy).

Core Agenda and Expected Negotiations

The two weeks of negotiations will focus intensely on two central pillars of global climate policy: Mitigation and Finance.

1. Mitigation and NDC Ambition

Countries must present their next generation of NDCs, detailing deeper, economy-wide emission cuts that align with the 1.5°C limit. COP 30 is expected to pressure major emitters to commit to peak emissions by 2025 and significantly phase down fossil fuel use.

2. Climate Finance and Equity

This will be the most contentious and crucial objective. Developed nations are expected to deliver on their promise of providing $100 billion annually for developing nations' climate action and agree on a new, substantially higher collective quantified goal (NCQG) for climate finance for the post-2025 period. Failure to deliver a robust finance package in Belém would severely undermine trust and ambition.

3. Operationalizing Loss and Damage Fund

Following the historic establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund, COP 30 will focus on ensuring the fund is fully operational, adequately capitalised, and accessible to the most vulnerable nations dealing with unavoidable climate impacts.

Brazil’s Role and Vision

For Brazil, hosting COP 30 is an opportunity to reclaim leadership on environmental issues after several controversial years. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has made clear that the summit will emphasize the need for developed nations to pay their climate debt and support developing countries in transitioning to a green economy without compromising development goals.

Belém, situated at the mouth of the Amazon River, will turn the global spotlight directly onto the issues of deforestation, indigenous rights, and sustainable land use, creating a powerful context that negotiators cannot ignore. The outcome of COP 30 is expected to shape global cooperation and financing mechanisms for the entire second half of the decade.