The world is getting ready for a decisive event in climate diplomacy: the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30). The event will take place between November 10th and 21st, 2025 in Belém, Brazil, bringing together representatives from 198 countries with the aim of advancing the fight against climate change.
The conference comes at a time of global urgency. Key topics will revolve around emission reductions, adaptation to the impacts of warming, and a just transition to renewable energies. The location, situated in the Amazon, reinforces the need to protect a vital ecosystem for the planet’s climate stability.
As the host, Brazil decided to bring forward the summit of heads of state to November 6th and 7th, in an effort to ensure an orderly and politically solid start. The measure aims to provide more space for technical and scientific debates, as well as to project international leadership in a key process for the future of the Paris Agreement.
COP30 will also be a space to review national commitments and assess to what extent governments are fulfilling their climate plans. The challenge is to increase collective ambition and close the gap that still separates promises from the actions needed to limit global warming.
Why Belém?
The choice of Belém as the venue is not coincidental. The city, located in the heart of the Amazon, symbolizes both the cultural and environmental richness of the region and the challenges it faces. Deforestation, pressure on ecosystems, and the need for sustainable economic models make this territory a focal point in the global climate agenda.
For Brazil, COP30 is a historic opportunity to showcase its efforts in renewable energies, biofuels, and low-carbon agriculture. It will also allow the country to reinforce its leadership role in multilateral processes, continuing the tradition initiated in the Eco-92 and Rio+20.
The conference will also be seen as a litmus test for international cooperation. The planet needs concrete and verifiable results, not just declarations. In Belém, countries are expected to enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), boost climate financing, and promote fair and inclusive transitions.
A new edition of sustainable event
The scientific framework of the IPCC will provide the technical basis for the discussions. Its latest reports warn that, without rapid and deep emissions reductions in all sectors, the goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C will be unattainable. This diagnosis makes COP30 a turning point: commitments must now be turned into immediate actions.
The Brazilian organization promised a sustainable event, with renewable energy at its facilities, circular economy measures, and carbon offset programs. In this way, it aims to set an example and align the conference’s logistics with the values it promotes.
The countdown has begun and all eyes are on the Amazon. In Belém, governments, civil society, and science will have the task of demonstrating that international cooperation is capable of addressing the greatest challenge of our era. What is decided there will not only set the course for the coming decades but also the future of millions of people and ecosystems worldwide.
Indigenous peoples at COP30: the unexpected alliance. (Photo: AFP).
The origin of COP: how climate diplomacy was born
To understand the relevance of COP30, it is necessary to look back. Its origin dates back to the Rio Summit of 1992, where the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed. That foundational agreement established basic principles, including the concept of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” recognizing that all countries must act, but that the most developed have a special role in leading and financing the transition.
From the UNFCCC came the Conference of the Parties, known as COP, which serves as the decision-making body responsible for advancing climate negotiations. Since then, annual meetings have been held where historic agreements like the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Paris Agreement in 2015 were adopted.
Currently, COP brings together 198 countries and has become one of the broadest and most inclusive multilateral forums. Not only governments participate, but also non-governmental organizations, indigenous communities, youth movements, scientists, and businesses. Over time, the agenda has expanded to include topics such as loss and damage, gender equality, food security, and oceans.
