In November 2025, Brazil will host one of the most relevant events on the international climate calendar: the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP30. The meeting will be held in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, and is expected to bring together representatives from nearly 200 countries to discuss the future of global climate action.

Every year, a preparatory meeting for the climate conference takes place in Bonn, Germany. This meeting serves as a thermometer for the main event, with delegations focusing on technical negotiations to advance discussions as much as possible for a successful outcome at COP.

In 2025, the work done in Bonn was considered positive in light of COP30’s priority agenda. Texts on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and Just Transition — highlighted by Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, president of COP30 — showed clear improvements, while discussions on the implementation of the Global Stocktake (GST), the overall assessment of the Paris Agreement, did not yield significant progress.

In his fourth letter from the Brazilian Presidency, Corrêa do Lago stated that to support the implementation of the GST, “the COP30 Action Agenda will be shaped as a ‘barn of solutions’ — a repository of concrete initiatives that connect climate ambition with development opportunities in investment, innovation, finance, technology, and capacity building.”

More than a diplomatic commitment, this edition has the potential to be a turning point in the implementation of the Paris Agreement, linking multilateral decisions to challenges and solutions that arise directly from the territories most affected by the climate crisis.

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What is COP30?

The climate conference is the main negotiation space among countries that are part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Every year, heads of state, ministers, negotiators, and civil society representatives gather to discuss strategies to tackle the climate emergency.

“COPs are important moments for countries to decide how they will continue to address the climate crisis,” says Stela Herschmann, climate policy expert at Observatório do Clima. “It’s where agreements are built, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, and where implementation rules are advanced and important political signals are given,” she explains.

In 2025, the event carries historical weight: it marks ten years since the signing of the Paris Agreement, which set the goal of keeping global warming below 2°C, with efforts to limit it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and opens a new phase in negotiations.

“The ten-year milestone is a moment of reassessment, of thinking about the future, especially in a context of worsening climate crisis and weakened multilateralism,” she notes. After years of discussion about the Paris Agreement’s “rulebook,” expectations are high for its implementation. “The climate crisis is worsening, and countries are not responding adequately or quickly enough,” says Stela.

When and where will COP30 take place?

Scheduled for November 10–21, 2025, the conference will be held in Belém, capital of Pará, Brazil. Located on the banks of the Guajará Bay and in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, the city was chosen for its strategic position in the global environmental agenda. The decision carries symbolic and practical weight: it will be the first time the UN’s main climate event is held in the Amazon, a region essential for climate balance but also marked by deep inequalities and environmental challenges.

Previous conferences paved the way to Belém. COP28 was held in 2023 in Dubai, UAE, and was notable for recognizing, for the first time, the need to transition away from fossil fuels. In 2024, COP29 took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a central focus on climate finance. Despite the importance of the topic, the outcome was considered unsatisfactory and left a sense of failure. Now, COP30 must show that positive results can be achieved under Brazil’s presidency.

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Why is COP30 important?

Expectations around COP30 are high because it occurs at a key moment: by the end of 2025, countries must present new, more ambitious climate targets (known as NDCs—Nationally Determined Contributions) to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C. Progress is also expected in climate finance, especially for developing countries, and in support for adaptation for vulnerable populations. Taking place in the Amazon, the conference emphasizes the urgency of a just, inclusive transition connected to local realities.

According to Stela, this edition may mark the end of the more bureaucratic phase and the beginning of a more practical era in negotiations. “Even if one country stops emitting completely, it will still be affected by emissions from others. Climate change doesn’t respect borders. Multilateralism is the only possible way to face this global challenge,” she says. Still, she acknowledges that the current pace is slow. “COPs produce incremental progress, but far below the urgency the moment demands,” she says.

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What are the trends for COP30 in Brazil?

Priority topics for the Brazilian presidency at COP30 include defining indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation, advancing the Just Transition Work Programme, and following up on the 2023 Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement. There is also anticipation around the new NDCs, which must be submitted by the second half of 2025. “The NDCs are coming and are not adequately reflecting what the global stocktake identified as necessary,” warns Stela.

Adaptation indicators will guide the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), a commitment under the Paris Agreement. Climate adaptation is expected to be a key focus in Belém, as one of the most urgent fronts of the global agenda. Developing countries have been pushing for more resources and a robust structure to implement the GGA. At an event in Brasília, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago emphasized that adaptation will be a central theme of the conference, highlighting Brazil’s role in promoting practical and inclusive solutions.

Another key issue at COP30 will be advancing climate finance, a topic that led to COP29 being considered a failure. “A new, highly insufficient goal was set, which loosened the responsibilities of developed countries. In response, Brazil, along with Azerbaijan, proposed a path to move from the $300 million proposed at COP29 to the target defended by developing countries of $1.3 trillion,” says Stela.

A major challenge will be resuming the discussion on fossil fuel use. “This is the elephant in the room. Fossil fuels account for about 75% of global emissions, and the topic has yet to be explicitly addressed,” says Stela. In this regard, she argues that COP30’s success cannot be measured solely by procedural decisions. “Brazil should aim for a result that goes beyond incremental progress. The moment demands a response that matches the challenge.”

Who can participate in COP30?

Official delegations from nearly 200 countries, including negotiators, ministers, and heads of state, are expected in Belém. Civil society representatives, businesses, academia, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, quilombolas, youth, and local governments also typically participate. This diversity is considered essential to strengthen multisectoral dialogue and broaden engagement around climate solutions, especially in a conference held in a region like the Amazon.

COP is divided into two main areas:

Blue Zone: Controlled by the UN and accessible only to accredited participants (such as NGOs, companies, universities, and civil society entities registered with the UNFCCC).

Green Zone: Open to the public and organized by the host country, featuring debates, exhibitions, workshops, and cultural events focused on environmental education and climate solutions.

Additionally, many civil society organizations, including companies and NGOs, host parallel events and mobilizations during the conference, creating a broad and diverse program for those interested in engaging with the topic, even without participating in official negotiations.

Conclusion

COP30 will be more than an international conference — it will be a thermometer of the world’s political will to concretely address the climate crisis. With eyes on Belém, the expectation is that countries will move beyond agreements and deliver real commitments, especially regarding a just transition and the phase-out of fossil fuels.

By hosting the event in the heart of the Amazon, Brazil has the opportunity to promote solutions that value forest preservation and climate justice, connecting global decisions to local realities. The success of COP30 will depend on the collective ability to turn promises into action.

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