The world’s attention is fixed on Belém, Brazil, as the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) unfolds at the edge of the vast Amazon rainforest. With more than 50,000 attendees from over 190 countries, including world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and indigenous representatives, this year’s summit is being hailed as a pivotal moment for global climate action. The stakes couldn’t be higher: as COP30 opened on November 10, 2025, the urgency of the climate crisis was underscored by both the scale of participation and the intensity of the debates taking place inside the conference halls.
Brazil, as host, has set an ambitious agenda, aiming to make this the “COP of implementation.” The goal is clear: move beyond lofty promises and translate commitments into robust, tangible action. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, addressing the gathering, didn’t mince words. “Climate change is no longer a threat of the future. It is a tragedy of the present,” he declared, referencing the devastating impacts already felt across the globe. He condemned those who undermine climate efforts, emphasizing, “They attack institutions, they attack science and universities. It’s time to inflict a new defeat on the deniers.” According to Al Jazeera, Lula’s remarks set the tone for a summit defined by urgency and resolve.
The United Nations’ climate chief, Simon Stiell, echoed this sentiment, challenging delegates to unite in purpose. “In this arena of COP30, your job here is not to fight one another – your job here is to fight this climate crisis, together,” Stiell told the assembled leaders. He acknowledged the progress made in previous conferences but insisted, “Lamenting is not a strategy. We need solutions.” A recent UN analysis found that current national climate plans fall well short of what’s needed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels—a critical threshold, scientists warn, if humanity is to avoid far more severe impacts than those already being witnessed.
The sense of immediacy at COP30 is reinforced by the lived experiences of those on the front lines. Indigenous peoples, in particular, have brought powerful testimony to the proceedings. Eileen Mairena Cunningham, the Indigenous Peoples Organization’s Focal Point to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and a Miskitu woman from Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, described climate change as “a wound that festers, eating away at our land, resources, spirituality, and culture.” According to Project Syndicate, indigenous communities’ reliance on natural ecosystems makes them especially vulnerable to the increasingly frequent and severe weather events—hurricanes, droughts, floods, and landslides—that are linked to the warming planet.
With over 3,000 indigenous representatives from every continent expected to attend, the Global Caucus of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change has put forward a unified set of demands. Chief among them is the recognition of their rights to self-determination and free, prior, and informed consent regarding all matters affecting their lands, territories, and resources. “These are not favors or nice-to-haves, but the essential principles of a just climate transition,” Cunningham noted. Indigenous leaders insist that adaptation and mitigation strategies must be holistic, taking into account not just carbon sequestration but also the effects on livelihoods, mental and spiritual health, and cultural continuity.
One of the most pressing issues on the agenda is climate finance. Indigenous delegates are calling for direct access to predictable and sustainable funding, rather than being forced to depend on intermediaries. “The problem with climate finance is not a lack of capacity but a lack of trust and political will,” Cunningham argued. For Brazil and COP30 organizers, this aligns with the broader theme of implementation: ensuring that resources reach those who need them most, especially those on the front lines of climate change.
It isn’t just indigenous voices demanding action. The conference has seen a flurry of new initiatives aimed at accelerating the pace of emissions reductions. On November 9, the Methane and Other Non-CO₂ Greenhouse Gases Summit, held on the sidelines of COP30, produced what environmental campaigners have called a “real step towards the kind of regime-building we urgently need to tackle methane,” as reported by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Countries including the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Norway endorsed a shared commitment to achieve near zero methane emissions across the fossil fuel sector. The joint statement laid out concrete measures, from transparent monitoring and reporting to the creation of a new international panel on methane intensity.
EIA Climate Campaigner Jack Corscadden explained the significance: “It sets out concrete measures, from transparent monitoring and reporting to the creation of a new international panel on methane intensity, that can finally turn ambition into accountability. This is exactly the kind of cooperation we need to break down silos and send a clear market signal that sustained methane emissions are no longer acceptable in global energy markets.” The hope is that by bringing together both producing and importing countries, the summit has laid the foundation for a truly global methane standard.
Building on this momentum, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) launched a new Country Programme to fund dedicated teams embedded within governments for three years, supporting targeted projects in key emitting sectors. As EIA’s Kim O’Dowd put it, “By funding teams within governments instead of short-term projects, it builds capacity where it matters. It’s the kind of shift we’ve been calling for at EIA, moving from scattered pilot projects to long-term, country-led approach that can deliver real results.” The programme currently supports seven countries but aims to expand further with the creation of a dedicated fund, so that every nation ready to act has the means to do so.
Yet, not all global powers are present. The United States is notably absent from COP30, a decision attributed to President Donald Trump’s anti-climate change stance. “It’s a good thing that they are not sending anyone. It wasn’t going to be constructive if they did,” said Todd Stern, the US’s former special envoy for climate, according to Al Jazeera. COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago observed that the US’s absence “has opened some space for the world to see what developing countries are doing.” This absence has shifted the spotlight onto Brazil and its partners, including Norway, Indonesia, Colombia, and other tropical forest countries, who have launched initiatives demonstrating leadership on climate issues, as noted by ESG Updates.
The human cost of climate inaction is never far from the surface. The aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Vietnam, as captured in a recent AFP photograph, serves as a stark reminder of the devastation wrought by extreme weather events. In a letter to COP30, dozens of scientists warned, “The cryosphere is destabilising at an alarming pace. Geopolitical tensions or short-term national interests must not overshadow COP30. Climate change is the defining security and stability challenge of our time.”
As the summit continues, the world watches to see if COP30 will live up to its billing as the “COP of implementation.” For many, especially those on the front lines of climate change, the hope is that this time, words will be matched by action, and that the promises made in Belém will translate into a safer, more just future for all.
