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What is COP30 and why does it matter for the climate?

  • Sergio Szpoganicz de Oliveira
  • Oct 31
  • 3 min read

Let’s start from the beginning!


The Foundation: UNFCCC


The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was born out of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio and it was the big launch for the multilateral effort to tackle global warming.


The core idea? Common but Differentiated Responsibilities. Basically, developed nations take the lead in cutting emissions and providing financial, tech, and capacity-building support to developing countries for both mitigation (cutting emissions) and adaptation (dealing with the impacts).


The UNFCCC focuses on five main pillars: Mitigation, Adaptation, Finance, Technology, and Capacity Building. Lately, hot topics like Loss and Damage, Just Transition, Gender, Indigenous Peoples, Youth, Agriculture, and Oceans are also high on the agenda.


Ok, got it, but what's COP?


The UNFCCC established the Conference of the Parties (COP) as its decision-making body. Think of it as the annual global climate summit where all 198 member countries (that's nearly every country on Earth!) gather to implement the Convention's goals.


The COP is supported by two key subsidiary bodies: the SBI (Subsidiary Body for Implementation) and the SBSTA (Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice). When you hear about the annual climate meeting (usually in Nov/Dec), it’s not just the COP—it’s the gathering of the COP, the CMP (for the Kyoto Protocol), and the CMA (for the Paris Agreement), along with the SBI and SBSTA.


A little history: Kyoto and Paris


  1. The Kyoto Protocol (1997- COP3): This was the first major step, setting binding, quantifiable emission reduction targets specifically for developed countries (e.g., a 5% cut by 2008-2012 vs. 1990 levels). It also introduced market mechanisms like the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which helped finance emission-cutting projects globally.


  2. The Paris Agreement (2015 - COP21): This is the big one today, strengthening the UNFCCC framework. It set three ambitious global goals:

    • Keep global warming well below 2⁰ C and strive to limit it to 1.5⁰ C.

    • Enhance adaptation and resilience.

    • Align financial flows with low-emission, climate-resilient pathways.


The game-changer in Paris? Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Now, every country—developed and developing—submits and regularly updates its own climate action plan (its NDC). This respects national realities and sovereignty but ensures everyone is accountable through a stronger transparency framework.


The science: The IPCC


You can't talk climate without mentioning the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Created in 1988 by the UN Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization, the IPCC’s job isn't to set policy, but to provide the world’s policymakers with regular, comprehensive scientific assessments on climate change, its impacts, and future risks.

With 195 member countries, the IPCC synthesizes the best available science. Its reports are the foundational scientific backbone for all those intense international negotiations happening at the COPs!


Finally, how about COP30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil?


From November 10th to the 21st the world turns its focus to the "Amazon COP." This summit is poised to be a critical moment, shifting the global climate conversation to the heart of the world’s largest tropical rainforest.


COP 30 promises to be intensely practical and geared toward implementation. The overarching goal is to build upon the outcomes of previous COPs and finalize concrete plans for the future. Key thematic pillars are: Forests at the Center, Accelerating Ambition (new, ambitious NDCs), Climate Finance & Justice, and Systemic Transformation. The conference is structured around six action axes, including the Energy Transition, Sustainable Food Systems, and Cities & Infrastructure resilience.


We can expect Heads of State and Government, climate negotiators from nearly 200 countries, leaders from international organizations (UNFCCC, IFIs), leading climate scientists, industry executives focusing on green transition, and a massive contingent of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), whose presence will be highly visible and impactful.


COP30 in Belém is more than a negotiation; it is an opportunity to connect climate policy with the real-life stakes in the Amazon. This is a crucial global conversation, let’s hope for the best and pressure our politicians to work towards meeting the goals set and improving conditions everywhere.



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