COP30 Dispatch

What Congress Needs to Know from Brazil

COP30 is officially underway. During the opening plenary, COP30 leadership reflected on this meeting as a milestone. Negotiations are back in Brazil, where the UNFCCC was born in 1992, and it has now been 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement. The high-level speakers expressed that while the agreement has helped countries avert the worst warming scenarios, progress is much slower than communities need and science demands. The Brazil Presidency doubled down on its commitment to climate science as its compass for this year.

As part of the opening ceremony, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell evoked President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 speech, "Citizenship in a Republic." “The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena with their faces marred by dust and sweat and blood who strive valiantly,” quoted Stiell in his opening remarks. He ended by calling on COP30 delegations to “strive valiantly for more.”

Missed Friday’s edition? Check it out here. We are also compiling key COP30 announcements throughout the conference—check back for updates.

You can find all EESI’s COP30 resources here. Getting lost in the COP lingo? Check out EESI's glossary of terms and other helpful guides in our Resources section! Looking for more information? Reach out to EESI Policy Director Anna McGinn at [email protected].

Key Takeaways for Congress

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev handed off the gavel to COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, officially putting Brazil at the helm of the UNFCCC process. (Negotiations)
California State Senator Josh Becker spoke about his state’s commitments to the goals of the Paris Agreement. (U.S. Updates)
Brazil, India, Italy, and Japan endorsed the Belém 4X Pledge on Sustainable Fuels, and 44 countries signed on to the Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and People-Centered Climate Action at the World Climate Summit last Friday. (Around the World)

Negotiations

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev of Azerbaijan (center) formally transfers the presidency to COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago (left). | Credit: UN Climate Change - Kiara Worth via Flickr.

Passing the Torch: COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev handed off the gavel to COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, officially putting Brazil at the helm of the UNFCCC process. Both leaders gave remarks that underscored their commitment to multilateralism. Babayev emphasized that countries need to keep their climate finance commitments and showed delegates a physical copy of an "invoice for climate justice." Corrêa do Lago highlighted the large presence of Brazilian leaders in the room, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, ministers, governors, mayors, and members of the National Congress. He said that this attendance underscores the country’s unified commitment to the COP30 agenda, through which Brazil plans to focus on implementation, adaptation, integrating climate and economy, and a strong commitment to science.

President Lula’s Welcome: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed delegates from around the world to Belém. He called this the “COP of truth,” and said that it is time to defeat efforts by actors to weaponize algorithms, spread disinformation, and attack science. He stated that climate impacts are here now, and that the global community is moving in the right direction, but the speed needs to be accelerated. On a lighter note, President Lula strongly suggested that delegates enjoy the cuisine of the region, including the world’s best fish and the dish maniçoba.

COP30 Context Setting: At the opening of COP30, IPCC Chair Jim Skea provided a sobering update that the world is almost certainly going to exceed the 1.5°C (2.7°F) temperature threshold due to inadequate action in recent years to reduce emissions. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell added that if there is “overshoot” of the goal, countries will need to work hard to bring the temperature back down. He compared global climate action to the Amazon River—thousands of streams flowing into one powerful river heading in a single direction.

Agendas Adopted: After the opening speeches, Corrêa do Lago walked delegates through the approval of the negotiating agendas. While some countries submitted new agenda items in the days leading up to today’s opening, the Brazil Presidency offered to hold conversations on each of these issues alongside, but not within, the negotiations, which was accepted by the countries prior to this session. The immediate adoption of the agendas means that negotiations can start on their intended schedule.

Delayed Opening Statements: Countries and observer constituency groups usually have the opportunity to speak immediately after the agendas are adopted. However, due to travel difficulties, some of the language translators have yet to arrive in Belém. Opening statements are delayed until tomorrow.

Progress Report on Implementation: A press conference hosted by Climate Action Network International (CAN-I) offered insights on the state of the loss and damage fund and the just transition work programme, both of which were launched at COP27. CAN-I Executive Director Tasneem Essop lamented the near-empty state of the loss and damage fund ($768.4 million pledged as of April 2025) and foreshadowed the next window for developing countries to apply for funding, to be expected this evening. Panelist Amiera Sawas pointed to the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM), developed early this year, as a solution to the “hollow” and “fragmented” efforts by countries working towards just transition goals. “There is a lot of consensus behind [BAM],” Sawas said, “and we hope that it will be agreed upon by parties at this COP.”
- EESI Article: “Looking to COP30, Here’s Where Key Past COP Announcements Stand”

Matter of Fact (Sheets): The UN Environment Programme recently released a COP30 Factsheet Series designed to help negotiators and other players in Belém brush up on the major issues of this year’s conference, including climate finance, methane, loss and damage, and the Global Goal on Adaptation.

U.S. Updates

California State Senator Josh Becker speaking at a press conference in Belém. | Credit: UNFCCC COP30 platform.

California Shows Up and Sets the Bar: California State Senator Josh Becker led a press conference to send the message that, despite challenges set by the federal government, U.S. states are still committed to aligning with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Sen. Becker highlighted that his state has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, achieved 70% energy generation from zero-emission sources, built roughly 16 gigawatts of battery storage, launched a climate literacy program, and boasts the country’s most stringent climate disclosure laws.
- EESI Climate Solutions by State: California

Around the World

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell speaks to delegates at COP30. | Credit: UN Climate Change - Kiara Worth via Flickr.

We Are the (Climate) Champions: The High-Level Climate Champions, who are appointed by each COP Presidency and work to connect UNFCCC activities with actions on the ground, announced a 2026-2030 Action Agenda. The agenda is structured around six themes: decarbonization, nature, agriculture, cities, human and social development, and enabling factors like finance and technology. The work under this new plan kicks off at COP30, and progress on each theme will be measured annually.

Belém 4X: At the World Leaders Summit on Friday, Brazil, India, Italy, and Japan endorsed their commitments to a new biofuels agreement, the Belém 4X Pledge on Sustainable Fuels, which they first announced in October. The commitment to quadruple sustainable biofuel use globally by 2035 compared to 2024 levels is based on the findings of an International Energy Agency report. At a CAN-I press conference on the first day of COP30, however, panelists criticized the move as a “false solution” that creates new land use problems and “distracts us from phasing [out] fossil fuels.”

Declaration on Hunger: A total of 44 countries signed the Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and People-Centered Climate Action at last week’s World Leaders Summit. The document stresses that climate change and environmental degradation, and the resulting biodiversity loss, are accelerating and exacerbating food insecurity, diminishing access to water, and worsening public health around the world. Through eight specific, quantifiable recommendations, signatories urged other countries to ramp up climate adaptation efforts, particularly by supporting community-level resilience, and called for dedicated climate finance for projects that reinvigorate small-scale farmers and “traditional communities” that live off of the land.
- EESI Article Series: Spotlight on Indigenous Sustainable Agriculture

Letters from Belém (Cont.): The COP30 Presidency released its final letter in the lead-up to COP30. The previous nine letters called on countries to embrace international cooperation, bolster the “climate change regime,” and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement. In the tenth, the COP30 president wrote that “we are privileged to have been destined the opportunity to make history as those who chose courage over omission to turn our climate fight around. We must embrace this privilege as a responsibility for the people we love, for the generations that came before us, and for those yet to come.”

Looking Back and Looking Ahead: Under the Paris Agreement, countries committed to submitting in-depth reviews of their own mitigation and adaptation results—or biennial transparency reports (BTRs). The UNFCCC has released a synthesis report of 101 of these BTRs. Collectively, countries reported about 3,404 different policies being implemented at the time of reporting, in alignment with their respective nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Over 60% of these policies are in the energy and transportation sectors. This interactive version of the report provides graphs to illustrate all the key findings. The UNFCCC has also released an update to the recently published synthesis report of the latest NDCs. The update includes all 86 NDC submissions to date, and finds that, if countries carry out their commitments, greenhouse emissions will be about 12% lower by 2035 (compared to 2019 levels). By comparison, without these commitments, emissions would increase 20 to 48% by 2035 (compared to 2019 levels).

Paris Progress Report: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Programme for Action on Climate published its latest Climate Action Monitor, which tracks countries’ progress on meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. The 2025 report found that only 30 countries have set legally-binding commitments to achieve net-zero emissions and that global climate action grew by only 1% in 2024. Broadly, countries’ existing emissions targets are misaligned with the Paris Agreement, and getting back on track will require significantly more ambitious action at the national level.

Ecuador REDD-y for Equitable Distribution: The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) held a press conference spotlighting Ecuador’s benefit distribution plan for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) framework, which guides global forestry policy. Ecuador’s plan is designed to make sure that all groups involved in conserving forested areas are compensated. Panelists representing Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian communities stated that the country’s distribution plan was co-built inclusively, and stressed the importance of equity for all organizations and territories in the process.

N-D-Seas: A Virtual Ocean Pavilion webinar hosted by the Global Ocean Forum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory focused on leveraging ocean-based action against climate change. The ocean is referenced in over 80% of the new NDCs so far, a 40% increase from the previous round of NDCs. Panelists celebrated the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (also known as the BBNJ or the High Seas Treaty) attaining the ratifications required for entry into force, which is slated for January 2026.
- EESI Podcast: “Keeping U.S. Climate Action Afloat: Subnational Diplomacy on Ocean Acidification”

Resources

EESI Resources

Briefing series: What Congress Needs to Know About COP30
- What's on the Table for the Negotiations?
- Keeping it Cool: International Efforts to Reduce Emissions from Refrigerants
- International Trade and Climate Policy
Climate Change Solutions: Bi-weekly newsletter covering climate, energy, and environmental issues
EESI's United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Glossary of Terms

Tracking the Negotiations

CarbonBrief: Reporting and analysis on the UN climate talks, with in-depth tracking of country positions in the negotiations
COP30 Resource Hub: World Resources Institute's extensive set of resources on the climate negotiations
Earth Negotiations Bulletin: A play-by-play of the negotiations, plus expert analysis from the International Institute for Sustainable Development
ECO Newsletter: The climate advocate’s perspective from Climate Action Network International
C2ES Newsletter: Daily key takeaways from COP30 experts observing the negotiations
Nature Updates: Nature4Climate brings daily updates on all the nature-based solutions happenings at COP to your inbox

Background and Logistics

Brazil COP30 presidency website: Priorities, details, and logistics for the negotiations from this year’s host country
UNFCCC COP30 website: Conference details and all updates on documents produced during the negotiations
Congressional Research Service: Reports related to the UNFCCC

Questions about COP30?

Reach out to EESI Policy Director Anna McGinn with your questions. We will get back to you or include the information in an upcoming newsletter.

Thanks for reading!

This newsletter covering COP30 will be running from November 7 - November 24.
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Staff contributors: Daniel Bresette, Alison Davis, Laura Gries, Amaury Laporte,
Anna McGinn, Nicole Pouy, and Hannah Wilson-Black

About EESI

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges to achieve a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world. Founded on a bipartisan basis by members of Congress, EESI has been informing policymakers about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental conservation since 1984.

CFC #10627