What is COP30? 

Eleanor Johnston, Climate Change Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, explains what COP30 is, and what we can expect…

COP stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’, which are regular United Nations (UN) conferences on its different conventions (written legal agreements between countries and the UN).    

This year the 30th climate COP (COP30) is taking place from 10th November to 21st November, in Belém, Brazil. This focuses on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, bringing together nations and territories to negotiate and make decisions around tackling climate change.    

Will COP30 present any opportunities for real progress on climate action? It’s possible. 

Climate change is accelerating, 10 years after countries signed the Paris Agreement to limit global temperatures to ‘well below’ 2°C and to commit to ambitious adaptation strategies. Average temperatures continue to rise, with 2024 being confirmed as the hottest year on record. Catastrophic consequences for people and nature are becoming increasingly common worldwide.  

A few weeks ago, scientists highlighted what has been predicted for decades – that coral reefs now face inevitable decline due to rising temperatures, one of the first global ‘tipping points’.  

We’ve seen record wildfires – including at Wyming Brook and Greno Woods – with stats over summer revealing an area more than twice the size of Glasgow had been burned up to that point. Across Southern Europe, the impacts have been far worse.  We’re becoming familiar with these kinds of headlines, with many voices debating whether multilateralism can ever turn the tide. But the coming together of countries at the 30^th climate COP (COP30) could still provide some glimmers of hope. 

A vision for a global mutirão  

Brazil’s COP President, André Corrêa do Lago, has strong ambitions to get countries working together to achieve climate goals. His vision for COP30 is a ‘global mutirão’, representing a global mobilisation against climate change. A focus on implementation is expected – with calls to translate words and text into actual on the ground action.      

We’re likely to see emphasis on adapting to climate change 

André Corrêa do Lago has regularly written to Parties in the run up to COP30, and in his latest letter he called for COP30 to be a turning point on climate change adaptation, showcasing real solutions and mobilising funding. 

Promisingly he refers to the ability of nature-based solutions to accelerate the shift to mainstream adaptation, emphasising the benefits of investing in forests, wetlands, mangroves and other ecosystems for nature and people. 
 

We expect to see a focus on nature 

Belém is located close to the Amazon rainforest, so a focus on the loss of tropical rainforests is expected, with routes to fund long-term conservation and expansion of global forests. 

Brazil is planning to use COP30 to launch the Tropical Forests Forever Fund which will provide funding to countries that commit to preserving these forests. This is particularly relevant to issues around deforestation and current concerns from scientists that carbon sinks, such as forests, are weakening in their ability to take in and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  

The 10-year milestone may offer a stark reminder of how far we still have left to go 

The Paris Agreement was signed by Parties in 2015. We’re now 10 years on, and whilst the world is far off track in terms of limiting emissions and global temperature rise, this 10-year milestone could serve as a stark reminder and motivate the accelerated action needed. 

Renewable energy is on the rise 

We’ve seen a recent surge in renewable energy, such as wind and solar, indicating growing momentum towards the phase out of fossil fuels. 

Renewables produced more electricity than coal in the first half of this year, and renewable power capacity is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, likely to be dominated by solar power. We hope to see strong commitment to phasing out fossil fuels at COP30.

What do The Wildlife Trusts want to see from COP30?

Nature at the heart of climate action

Nature is critical to climate action – from absorbing greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) to providing resilience to climate change impacts such as flooding, sea-level rise and heatwaves (adaptation). 

We want to see funding and prioritisation of nature-based solutions. Threats like deforestation, drought and wildfire are weakening the carbon absorbing capacity of our natural world. We want to see attention given to this, solutions identified and actions agreed.

Ambitious plans and evidence of action to reduce emissions

We want to see much more ambitious commitments made by countries through Nationally Determined Contributions to reduce emissions, alongside demonstration of significant progress being made. 

Accelerating progress on climate change adaptation

We want to see countries taking adaptation seriously, demonstrating progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation and securing funding, particularly for developing countries. The increasing frequency of extreme weather and already disastrous consequences experienced worldwide, emphasise the need to accelerate adaptation action.

Hear more about COP30  

We have upcoming livestreams where The Wildlife Trusts will be chatting through COP30 expectations and outcomes with the Zoological Society of London. We want to make COP30 as understandable as we can for everyone so do join us to find out more.