The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, opens in Belém this week amid record-high global temperatures, strained international ties and mounting pressure for action. Observers say this year’s talks could define the next decade of climate ambition.
“This has the potential to be one of the most consequential climate COPs of the last decade,” said Ruth Do Coutto, deputy director of the climate change division at the United Nations Environment Programme, in a post. “But there is no doubt: we are facing some serious headwinds.”
Delegates from nearly 200 nations will tackle six key issues, from cutting emissions to financing adaptation, as the world enters a make-or-break phase for climate action.
Limiting Runaway Global Warming
The latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025 warns that current national pledges fall far short of the Paris Agreement goals. Present commitments would push global temperatures up by 2.3 to 2.5 degrees Celsius by 2100.
“We are very likely to overshoot 1.5°C within the next decade,” UNEP said. “The priority now is to keep that overshoot as small and short as possible.”
At COP30, countries are expected to outline plans to deepen emissions cuts, particularly in the sectors responsible for most greenhouse gases: energy, industry and transport.
Protecting Communities From Escalating Impacts
Developing countries face growing risks from rising seas, droughts, and heat waves. Yet, they lack the resources to adapt. UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2025 estimates that these nations will require over $310 billion annually by 2035 to prepare for climate impacts. They currently receive only a fraction of that sum.
“Every dollar invested in early warning systems can save up to fifteen dollars in avoided losses,” UNEP said. With the Glasgow commitment to double adaptation finance expiring this year, COP30 is expected to set a new global goal for adaptation finance and define clear indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation.
Delivering on a Trillion-Dollar Climate Finance Promise
Ahead of COP30, Azerbaijan and Brazil released a roadmap to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually for developing nations by 2035. The proposal aims to blend public and private capital to close the funding gap.
According to UNEP, developed countries must lead by reforming multilateral development banks, easing debt burdens, and expanding instruments that attract large-scale private investment. “The goal is to turn finance pledges into financial flows,” UNEP said.
Accelerating Innovation and Local Solutions
Belém will also spotlight innovative approaches to cooling cities and protecting vulnerable populations. One such effort is the Beat the Heat Implementation Drive, led by Brazil and UNEP’s Cool Coalition. The initiative promotes local-level responses to extreme heat, such as cool roofs, urban green spaces and sustainable cooling systems.
Brazil’s “Bairro do Mutirão para Cidades, Água e Infraestrutura” neighborhood at COP30 will serve as a live demonstration of circular design principles, showcasing how integrated systems can cool, conserve and connect urban communities.
UNEP will also launch the “Food Waste Breakthrough,” a five-year initiative to cut global food waste by half and reduce methane emissions by up to seven percent.
Another initiative, the “Tropical Forest Forever Facility,” aims to pay countries to preserve forests through blended finance, potentially providing over half the funding needed to conserve the world’s tropical forests.
“These efforts highlight how innovation and partnerships can help countries achieve both environmental and social goals,” UNEP said.
Ensuring Fair and Inclusive Transitions
Renewable energy now offers the world’s cheapest power and the opportunity to reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuels. However, UNEP stressed that workers and regions tied to carbon-intensive industries must not be left behind.
COP30 is expected to advance the proposed “Belém Action Mechanism for Just Transition.” The initiative outlines how governments and businesses can ensure people-centered transitions through job creation, skills training and economic diversification.
“Tackling short-lived climate pollutants such as methane can deliver fast climate gains while supporting cleaner air and stronger economies,” UNEP said.
Rekindling the Spirit of Paris
When the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, it ignited global hope that collective action could slow warming. Without it, the world would likely be on a path to 3 to 3.5 degrees of warming. Today, projections are closer to 2.3 to 2.5 degrees, progress, but not enough to avert severe impacts.
“There is still time for humanity to avoid the worst of the impacts of climate change,” said Do Coutto. “But we need to act now, and we need to act decisively, just like we did a decade ago.”
As COP30 unfolds in Belém, UNEP said the world must seize this moment to turn climate promises into real progress and ensure this decade becomes one of delivery, not delay.
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