COP30 Week One – What Happened in Belem

Image Credit: Reuters/Sky News 

The opening days of COP30 made it very clear: this summit is about implementation. Gone are many of the vague promises –  what’s at stake now is turning ambition into action.

Finance Takes Centre Stage

One of the biggest themes in week one was climate finance. Negotiators focused on the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap, which aims to mobilize US$1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to support developing nations’ climate action.

There was concrete movement: the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (established at COP28) issued its first call for proposals, kicking off with US$250 million in grants.

Multilateral development banks also made a splash — they pledged US$26 billion for adaptation in lower- and middle-income countries, nearly doubling previous commitments

Technology and Innovation

COP30 is leaning heavily into technology. On Day 1, they launched:

• The Green Digital Action Hub

• The AI Climate Institute – a collaboration involving Brazil, the UN’s ITU, and UNESCO.

There were big announcements for agricultural innovation too: a new open-source AI model for farming, backed by the Gates Foundation, Brazil, and the UAE. This model is designed to support 100 million farmers by 2028.

Adaptation and Local Action

Cities and local governments got a lot of spotlight. On Day 2, COP30 launched the Beat the Heat Implementation Drive, which aims to help 3.5 billion people across 185 cities deal with extreme heat.

They also introduced the Plan to Accelerate Multilevel Governance (PAS), which is about embedding climate ambition into local and national plans. Targets include: 100 national plans (NDCs) aligned by 2028, and training 6,000 local officials.

On the infrastructure front, a Near-Zero and Resilient Buildings Initiative launched standards for construction, and the No Organic Waste (NOW) Plan committed $30 million to reduce methane emissions from waste and integrate waste workers into a circular economy.

Water resilience was also a priority: a Latin America-Caribbean water investment programme was announced, backed by a US$20 billion pipeline for water security by 2030.

Health and Equity

Health has been explicitly integrated into COP30’s agenda. The Belém Health Action Plan (BHAP) was officially launched, underlining the links between climate change and health systems, especially in vulnerable communities.

This plan brings together government, civil society, and health institutions to build climate-resilient health systems, focusing on equity and social participation.

Forests and Nature Finance

As host, Brazil has put the Amazon front and centre. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) was highlighted, aiming to mobilize $125 billion for forest protection — with a significant portion earmarked for indigenous communities

Leadership, Tensions & Broader Reflections

UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a blunt message: missing the 1.5 °C target is a “moral failure.” Meanwhile, Brazil’s Environment Minister, Marina Silva, pushed for a voluntary but self-determined fossil fuel phase-out roadmap — an ethical call for countries to chart their own path away from fossil dependence.

Yet, not all is smooth consensus. British PM Keir Starmer admitted that the “climate consensus is gone,” though he insisted the UK remains fully committed to net-zero. His remarks underscore growing geopolitical tension and erosion of unity that once underpinned previous COPs.

Overall Thoughts

The first week of COP30 may not have yielded a blockbuster treaty, but it was packed with pragmatic, actionable progress. The focus is sharply on implementation – climate finance, adaptation, technology, and equity are not just buzzwords, but central pillars. However, underlying all of this is a tension: while ambition remains, global political consensus is clearly under strain.

If COP30 can keep up this momentum – turning roadmap pledges into real flow of funds and on-the-ground projects – it could mark a turning point in climate diplomacy. But the challenge is huge, especially in bridging the gap between rich and vulnerable countries, and making sure the lofty finance goals become reality.

ReGeneration Earth is our flagship conference where we bring all the regions under one roof to grow the green economy. The event will be delivered in Leeds in 2026, hosting an energy zone, innovation zone, regions zone, investment zone, infrastructure & transport zone and skills stage. Our goal is to bring together 2,000+ delegates showcasing all the regions under one roof.