COP30 put human well-being at the core of climate action on Thursday as countries adopted the Belém Health Action Plan, a global framework to help health systems adapt to rising climate risks.
Brazil and the World Health Organization led the development of the plan. It has drawn 80 endorsements so far from governments, civil society and international groups. Over 35 philanthropies pledged an initial $300 million to accelerate implementation.
Simon Stiell, UN climate chief, said, “Protecting health in a changing climate demands a whole of society approach. Today’s launch of the Belem Health Action Plan is a vital step forward.” He added that the plan integrates equity and climate justice in “the three pillars of resilient societies.”
Brazil’s health minister Alexandre Padilha said, “It is time to move from reflection to joint action. Faced with an already altered climate, there is no alternative but for governments and public policies to adapt and confront climate change.”
Education Ministers Push Climate Literacy
Education ministers met in Belém to expand the Greening Education Partnership. Brazil and UNESCO co-hosted the session. Officials reviewed ways to strengthen climate literacy through curricula, assessments and teacher training.
The meeting also launched a draft PISA framework on climate literacy to guide the knowledge and skills students need to support climate goals.
“We need education to prepare students, not only to understand the world, but to change it,” Brazil’s education minister Camilo Santana said.
FINI Targets $1 Trillion Pipeline
The Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council launched the FINI initiative to turn national adaptation plans into investable projects.
FINI aims to build $1 trillion in adaptation project pipelines by 2028, including 20 percent from private investors. It seeks $500 million from multilateral and philanthropic partners for risk assessment and capacity building.
Organizers said the goal is to help vulnerable nations attract long-term finance for resilience.
Judiciary Steps Into Climate Debate
Justice Day at COP30 brought judges and legal experts together to strengthen cooperation on climate law. Brazil’s top judge Edson Fachin urged deeper commitment from courts.
“The Judiciary is capable of inducing behaviour and promoting climate justice,” Fachin said. He called for a broad network of cooperation to defend what he described as the “Common Home.”
COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago said, “President Lula has repeated that this must be the COP of truth. And truth is deeply linked to the work that all of you do. But it must also be the COP of implementation.”
Brazil’s environment minister Marina Silva said ethics and justice must guide climate action. “There is no way to address the climate issue without resorting to two fundamental pillars: ethics and justice,” she said. She added, “Every time you punish a climate offender, it is an act of love for humanity and for the offender themselves.”
Banks Launch Debt-for-Resilience Mechanism
The IDB, CAF and the Caribbean Development Bank launched a joint debt-for-resilience initiative to help Caribbean nations ease debt burdens and strengthen disaster readiness. The mechanism creates a shared framework for future debt swaps aligned with national policies.
Countries Expand Early Warning Systems
A new global report showed that more than 60 percent of countries now have multi-hazard early warning systems. Yet gaps remain. The CREWS initiative launched its Strategy 2030 to help vulnerable nations build stronger systems.
Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway and several other donors announced new contributions. Belgium, Ireland and Spain also pledged support to expand weather observations through the Systematic Observations Financing Facility.
Rights-Based Pledging Drive Begins
The Sumaúma Pledging Tree opened at COP30 with a call for concrete, rights-based climate commitments. The initiative sets a roadmap from COP30 to COP31. All pledges will be released at next year’s high-level event.
Global Standards Bodies Align Carbon Accounting
ISO and the GHG Protocol agreed to deepen cooperation on carbon accounting. They identified priority areas to improve comparability across systems.
Dan Ioschpe, COP30 High Level Climate Champion, said, “Carbon accounting is not only a technical subject. It is a strategic one. Done in the right way, carbon accounting helps us transform pledges into progress and policies into tangible results.”
Brazil Highlights Integrity of Climate Information
A panel on information integrity reviewed Brazil’s work as the first country with a national chapter of the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change. Officials and civil society groups presented tools designed to counter misinformation.
Nina Santos, a senior official at Brazil’s Social Communication Secretariat, said, “With governments, international organizations, civil society and academia working together, we are increasingly well-positioned to ensure that people have access to reliable, high-quality information to act on the climate crisis.”
Youth Climate Champion Calls for Health Access
In the Green Zone, Youth Climate Champion Marcele Oliveira joined Brazil’s vaccination mascot Zé Gotinha and the COP30 forest guardian mascot Curupira to promote climate-resilient health awareness. She stressed the role of prevention for vulnerable communities.
“It’s an enormous pleasure to be at the launch of this action plan, which will address health in an integrated way,” she said. She added that Brazil’s Unified Health System allowed her to access care and vaccines. “This is something that should and could also be guaranteed in other nations,” she said.
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