COP30 Dispatch

What Congress Needs to Know from Brazil

Welcome back! It is now week two at COP30. Ministers from around the world have arrived in Belém to participate in the COP High-Level Segment and help guide the negotiations to completion.

Three more updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) have come in since our last update, from Costa Rica, Mexico, and Yemen. One trend is emerging in new NDCs: more countries are committing to a range (rather than a specific number) of emission reductions. For example, the EU’s commitment is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions 66.25-72.5% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is leading an effort to urge countries to meet the upper end of their targets. AOSIS also underscores that many developing countries can only meet their full NDC commitments with international climate finance.

If you are looking to get caught up on week one of COP30, our newsletters from last week, as well as this excellent Halfway Point Webinar from the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, would be great places to start.

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

The subsidiary body meetings closed on Saturday, marking the transition from the technical work period to the political work where ministers try to reconcile countries’ conflicting stances. (Negotiations)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) spent Saturday speaking on methane pollution and ocean warming. (U.S. Updates)
Ministers from 144 countries and negotiating blocs are slated to give remarks during the COP30 High-Level Segment today and tomorrow. (Around the World)

Negotiations

Delegates chatting during the COP Plenary on Saturday. | Credit: Mike Muzurakis, IISD/ENB.

A Note from the Presidency: On Sunday night, the COP30 Presidency published a summary on where things stand on issues being addressed parallel to the official negotiating agenda: the responsibility of developed countries to provide financial assistance to developing countries, progress on updated NDCs, overall outcomes of developed countries’ biennial transparency report submissions, and trade measures. The summary is seen as the potential starting point for a COP30 cover decision.

From Technical to Political: The subsidiary body meetings closed on Saturday, marking the transition from the technical work period to the political work where ministers come in and try to find “landing zones”—areas where agreement could start to take shape—amidst conflicting stances. According to Carbon Brief, countries finished 44 of the agenda items and pushed more than 12 to the next meeting of the subsidiary bodies in June. This means there are still about 60 substantive agenda items to be concluded during week two of COP30.

Stark Realities for a Just Transition: At today’s Climate Action Network-International press conference, Kudakwashe Manjonjo from Power Shift Africa was generally pleased with the newest text coming out of the Just Transition Work Programme, which includes the Just Transition Mechanism proposed by the G77 and China group last week. He also voiced support for the EU’s Just Transition Action Plan that was released last Friday. Manjonjo warned, however, that the inclusion of language propping up “transition fuels” could have disproportionate consequences for the Global South by enabling continued gas investment without providing adequate energy or jobs for local communities. To frame his statement on the just transition, he relayed tragic news of a bridge collapse that killed at least 30 people yesterday at a copper and cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “This is precisely why we need a just transition mechanism to support eventualities and realities that are happening on the ground,” he explained.

From the Courts to COP: COP30 falls in the wake of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ’s) landmark advisory opinion (AO), which affirmed that countries have “binding obligations” to mitigate and prevent environmental harm. International law experts asserted today that negotiators should be using the AO as a yardstick for outcomes on finance, loss and damage, and the global stocktake, arguing that the ICJ was “crystal clear” that countries must address these issues. Panelists shared that the question in Belém is no longer about whether countries have an obligation to reduce emissions, but rather whether countries will honor those obligations in the negotiation rooms. For additional updates on the negotiations, see the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s comprehensive daily reports and quick highlights posted every day.
- EESI Briefing: What’s on the Table for the Negotiations

U.S. Updates

Entrance to the COP30 Venue. | Credit: UN Climate Change - Kiara Worth via Flickr.

Whitehouse, Out: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) spent Saturday weighing in on methane pollution and ocean warming. At several events, he discussed methane emission regulations for the oil and gas industry; tackling the sources of methane leaks; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s move to end the methane pollution fee, which was signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act; and the zettajoules of heat that he says fossil fuels are driving into the ocean. Sen. Whitehouse departed Belém on Sunday.
- EESI Briefing: Methane Mitigation on the Global Stage

Keeping Climate Action Alive in ‘25: New Mexico State Representative Andrea Romero and Los Angeles County Environmental Deputy Aaron Ordower discussed how state-level climate action is progressing without federal support. Rep. Romero shared New Mexico’s plans to transition to 100% renewable energy sources by 2045. Ordower highlighted the Clean Power Alliance—now the number-one provider of renewable energy in the country—and L.A. County’s partnership with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians to gain insight on ancient heat resilience techniques.
- EESI Climate Solutions by State: New Mexico and California

In the Business of Energy Efficiency: The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) teamed up with Mission Efficiency for a press conference on Saturday. Steven Kukoda of the International Copper Association announced the launch of Mission Efficiency’s global action plan to double energy efficiency by 2030, noting that energy efficiency encompasses the greatest share of action in the Paris Agreement. The plan, which already has buy-in from over 30 global partners, supports a letter to the COP30 Presidency, co-led by BCSE and the Alliance to Save Energy, affirming the commitment of the U.S. private sector to partner with international governments on the 2030 energy efficiency target.
- EESI Article: “African Development Bank Launches Pioneering Energy-Efficiency Project in Senegal”

Yes, U.S. CAN: The U.S. Climate Action Network held a press conference to ask the question, “Is COP30 bending the arc towards justice?” Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists identified a week-one “bright spot” as the recognition of the ambition gap between emission reduction commitments and what the Paris Agreement calls for. Youth activist Gemma Gutierrez stressed that Indigenous- and Black-led conversations happening outside the COP proceedings represent the heartbeat of real change. Fellow youth activist Cheryl Kwapong advocated for the addition of a formally recognized constituency for Afrodescendants at the UN table.

Around the World

Vice-President of Brazil Geraldo Alckmin speaks during the opening plenary of the High-Level Segment where ministers provide big-picture remarks. | Credit: UN Climate Change - Diego Herculano via Flickr.

High-Level Segment: The High-Level Segment is another opportunity for country leaders to provide comments during COP proceedings. President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock and Vice-President of Brazil Geraldo Alckmin were among the opening speakers. Baerbock said that the rise of renewable energy is unstoppable and that the challenge now is to make sure that innovation reaches all people, especially in Africa. She also emphasized that the money to invest in climate solutions exists, but it needs to be redirected. Alckmin spoke about Brazil’s leading role in the renewable energy transition, and highlighted its work in energy efficiency, sustainable fuels, and reducing illegal deforestation. He reintroduced the Tropical Forest Forever Facility “as a new way of aligning preservation, the green economy, and social justice,” emphasizing that countries can grow and conserve at the same time.

High-Level Segment Cont.: There are 79 speakers representing countries and country blocs on the list for today, with another 65 leaders scheduled for Tuesday. Today, leaders commented on progress at COP30 so far, their updated NDCs, and the state of the climate crisis. The EU, Norway, Palau (representing AOSIS), and Spain all called out the need to keep decisions tied closely to climate science. Spain additionally highlighted the damage of climate disinformation. Mauritius and Palau both discussed the ICJ’s July opinion on climate. Iraq, representing the G77 and China, discussed “a positive environment" during the first week of COP, and highlighted the various places climate finance is appearing within the negotiations. Jamaica echoed the need for climate finance to be scaled up, and described the immense damage of Hurricane Melissa. Jamaica’s Minister of Economic Growth and Job Creation Matthew Samuda cited that the hurricane’s rapid intensification was made six times more likely by climate change. Written versions of high-level segment statements are expected to be available here as they are submitted.

Methane Status Update: The UN Environment Programme launched its first review of accomplishments under the Global Methane Pledge and next steps. The report, authored by over 90 experts from around the world, finds that the pledge’s goal—a 30% reduction in global methane emissions by 2030 compared to 2020 levels—is still attainable. One panelist at the launch highlighted that about 72% of methane mitigation potential is in the oil and gas sector, and the vast majority of the steps that companies and countries can take are low cost. However, the report finds that action needs to be taken on the information being collected. Right now, about 90% of methane leaks detected by satellites are not being addressed.
- EESI Article: “Out-of-This-World Methane Detection: Using Satellites to Track Super Emitters”

Casting a Wider Net for Net Zero: A Saturday event hosted by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and the University of North Carolina examined the 2025 Net Zero Stocktake. The report represents the most comprehensive review to date of net-zero targets put forth by countries, regions, cities, and companies. It found that the quantity of net-zero target-setting is on the rise, regardless of political hurdles, but that the quality of those targets is low. Globally, nearly one-third of companies with net-zero targets failed to release an accompanying roadmap or plan for implementation.

Eating the Cost: On Friday, the True Animal Protein Price (TAPP) Coalition discussed the Belém declaration on agri-food greenhouse gas pricing. According to TAPP, the meat and dairy industry is responsible for 60% of food-based greenhouse gas emissions. This declaration, signed by 28 African nations and small Pacific islands, asks 30 OECD countries and China to reduce animal agriculture emissions through “harmonized” greenhouse gas pricing, which could involve taxes on meat or dairy, tariffs on imports, or cap-and-trade emission schemes. The declaration also urges countries to channel 20% to 50% of revenues from animal agriculture-based greenhouse gas pricing into the UNFCCC fund for responding to loss and damage and requests a new framework to continue negotiations on agriculture at future COPs.
- EESI Briefing: Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases

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
COP30 Announcement Tracker: Key Announcements from the 2025 UN Climate Summit. Also, check out this article with updates on past COP announcements.
U.S. Leaders at COP30: Updates on Members of Congress and other U.S. Officials at the 2025 UN Climate Summit
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.

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