COP30 Dispatch

What Congress Needs to Know from Brazil

COP30 concluded on Saturday evening, a day after it was scheduled to end. Join EESI tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST for a 30-minute Rapid Readout on the outcomes with a group of COP experts. You can RSVP here.

EESI reflected on the U.S. presence at COP30:

“It was encouraging to see and hear more than 50 state and local leaders at COP30 deliver a consistent message that they are serious about climate change and committed to science-based mitigation and adaptation,” said EESI President Daniel Bresette. “Senior representatives from leading businesses made similar statements.

“Unfortunately, delegations of members of Congress from both parties did not attend COP30 because of the shutdown. Had these delegations traveled to Brazil, even with their varied priorities, their presence would have communicated solidarity with the rest of the world.”

Read the full media statement here.

Thanks for joining us these past few weeks! This is the final issue of COP30 Dispatch. Find all the past issues here and our compilation of 26 COP30 announcements here.

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].

Keep up with EESI’s resources all year round by subscribing to Climate Change Solutions.

Key Takeaways for Congress

The final Belém Political Package contains a new just transition mechanism, a new gender action plan, a goal to triple adaptation finance by 2035, and a set of 59 adaptation indicators, among other provisions. (Negotiations)
The Belém Political Package does not include the much-discussed roadmap for a fossil fuel phaseout. The COP30 Presidency said it would continue to work on such a roadmap in the year ahead, including through a conference in Colombia in April 2026. (Negotiations)
By EESI’s count, 53 U.S. local, state, and federal officials attended COP30-related activities across Brazil this month. (U.S. Updates)

Negotiations

Intensive discussions between negotiators and COP30 Chief Strategy and Alignment Officer Túlio Andrade during a pause in the closing plenary on Saturday. | Credit: UN Climate Change - Lara Murillo via Flickr.

COP30 Concludes: COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago had to suspend the closing plenary for about an hour on Saturday afternoon due to objections from a number of countries on particular mitigation and adaptation outcomes. Ultimately, the COP30 Presidency said that conversations would continue on these issues during the mid-year meeting in Bonn, Germany, in June 2026, and saw COP30 to completion. The final outcome is called the Belém Political Package.

Parting Words: In a press briefing on Saturday, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell celebrated the COP30 outcomes as proof that “climate cooperation is alive and kicking,” with 194 countries standing “in solidarity and rock-solid support of climate cooperation.” He pointed to signals of future climate ambition, and insisted that the language in the final agreement “speaks to a raft of actions that will speed up implementation.” He argued further that “with or without navigation aids, the direction of travel is clear.” Some reporters pushed back on Stiell’s statements by pointing to a perceived shortage of actions at what the Brazil Presidency has called the “COP of implementation.” Others contradicted his accounts of solidarity, calling out instances of discord between countries over the final text.

If at First You Don’t Succeed: UN Secretary General António Guterres took to Instagram to remark on the COP30 outcomes and shortcomings: “COPs are consensus-based—and in a period of geopolitical divides, consensus is ever harder to reach. I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed …. To all those who marched, negotiated, advised, reported and mobilised: do not give up.”

Roadmaps: The much-discussed fossil fuel phaseout roadmap and reversing deforestation roadmap did not make it into the final text. At the closing plenary, COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago promised that he would instead lead the development of both roadmaps in the year ahead. This process will include high-level dialogues and an April 2026 international conference in Colombia on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Corrêa do Lago shared that there will be a full report on progress at COP31. Last Friday, 24 countries also agreed to the Belém Declaration on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels.
- EESI Topic Page: Fossil Fuels

Global Mutirão Text: The Global Mutirão: Uniting humanity in a global mobilization against climate change decision states that countries will continue discussing controversial topics at upcoming negotiating sessions. On climate finance, it established a two-year work program. On trade issues such as the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism, countries will have dialogues at the mid-year UNFCCC meetings in Bonn, Germany, in 2026, 2027, and 2028. The Mutirão decision also includes two new mechanisms to address ambition and implementation gaps in nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The first is the Global Implementation Accelerator, which will be a voluntary program co-led by the COP30 and COP31 Presidencies to help countries carry out their NDCs and national adaptation plans. The second is the Belém Mission to 1.5, a platform run by the COP29, COP30, and COP31 Presidencies to help countries accelerate their mitigation, adaptation, and climate finance efforts.
- EESI Article: “Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: A New Age of Sustainable Trade”

Adaptation Finance: Negotiators agreed to triple adaptation finance by 2035—but with no dollar amount or range specified. Developing countries had originally set their sights on $120 billion per year by 2030. This updated adaptation finance goal is designed to build on an initial commitment made at COP26 in 2021, where developed countries agreed to double adaptation finance to $40 billion by 2025. UN Environment Programme analysis finds that meeting this goal will be unlikely. In 2022, developed countries provided only $28 billion, and in 2023, the amount fell to $26 billion.

Adaptation Indicators: Countries agreed to a set of indicators to assess progress towards the Paris Agreement’s Global Goal on Adaptation. However, the list of 100 indicators generated by experts for negotiators to consider was significantly reshaped to only include metrics that would not be financially burdensome to assess. The list of approved Belém Adaptation Indicators includes 59 items on water, food, health, ecosystems, built infrastructure, poverty, cultural heritage, hazard preparedness, planning, and monitoring and evaluation. The decision does not require countries to report back on the indicators, but suggests countries could share updates via existing structures like NDCs, national adaptation plans, and transparency reporting. Negotiators decided to continue their work on these indicators for at least two more years to help countries put them to use.

Just Transition Work Programme: Among the concrete outcomes of COP30 is the adoption of a new just transition mechanism. The initiative establishes a framework for enhanced international cooperation, knowledge-sharing, technical assistance, and other capacity-building efforts needed to protect and support workers and marginalized groups in the clean energy transition.

Article 6.4 Implementation: COP29 left many under the impression that Article 6 negotiations on international carbon markets would not be a prominent topic this year. However, unexpected developments in the lead-up to COP30 brought it back into the limelight. The renewed discussion resulted in the decision that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), an instrument created under the Kyoto Protocol, will be closed by the end of 2026. The remaining $26.8 million from the CDM will enable three years of operation for the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism.

Gender Action Plan: Countries agreed to a new gender action plan, building on the first UNFCCC effort initiated in 2014. The plan will be in place through 2034 to help countries incorporate gender equality into their climate work. A particular emphasis will be on how women and girls are often disproportionately affected by climate change impacts as well as empowering them to lead on climate solutions.

Next Up: Negotiations under the UNFCCC will pick back up in Bonn, Germany, in June 2026. These will be more technical negotiations under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice.

COP31: Among the final decisions adopted by the COP was the split-duties compromise for Turkey to host COP31, with Australia presiding over the negotiations. In a joint press conference between the two countries, Turkey’s Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum said, “We hope the decisions we have taken will benefit all parties, our region, and the global climate effort. We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful homeland—the crossroads of humanity, continents and civilizations.” He also announced that the World Leaders Summit will take place in Istanbul ahead of COP31, which will likely be hosted in Antalya. Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen emphasized the importance of elevating voices from the Pacific, starting with the pre-COP meetings, which will be held in the Pacific region: “Minister Kurum will be [at pre-COP] as COP31 President, I will be there as president of the negotiations, and this will send a key message not only to the Pacific, but to the world, that the Pacific’s voices need to be heard.”

Read on: To learn more about the final outcome of COP30, check out Carbon Brief’s COP30: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Belém and Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s final day highlights.

U.S. Updates

Local leaders from the U.S. and Canada at the North America Mayoral Regional Convening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 5. | Credit: Bernardo Jardim Photography via C40 Cities.

Congressional Statements: EESI was able to find the following statements from members of Congress after COP's conclusion.
- Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) via open letter to President Trump: “As the international climate conference COP30 concludes in Brazil on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, I urge you to stop destroying our standing with international allies and turning collective climate action into a race to the bottom. Your attacks on our domestic clean energy industry and international aid are decimating our national ability to compete with China and other countries that are seizing the economic advantage of climate action.”
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) via Bluesky: Citing a press conference on COP30 that she spoke at last week, Rep. Pelosi shared this statement at the conclusion of COP: “The climate crisis demands urgent action. Yet the Trump Administration continues to ignore science, abandon our commitments and leave communities to suffer. Standing with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, we made it clear that America must lead the world—not walk away from it.”
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) via Bluesky: Sharing a news story about the conclusion of COP30, Sen. Whitehouse commented, “It is very hard to overstate the evil of the fossil fuel industry. When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage."

By Our Count: EESI noted that 53 officials from the U.S. attended COP30-related activities across Brazil this month. Sen. Whitehouse was the only federal official who made the trip. At the subnational level, three governors, 25 mayors, and 24 other state and local officials engaged in the international climate talks. In total, these leaders hailed from 27 states, with the most officials coming from California at 13, followed by Georgia, Missouri, New Mexico, and Oregon, all with three representatives.
- EESI Resource: “U.S. Leaders at COP30: Members of Congress and Other U.S. Officials at the 2025 UN Climate Summit”

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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