Did COP30 put nature first?

What is COP, and what were the aims of COP30?

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the annual decision-making meeting where countries assess global progress on climate action and negotiate commitments to address climate change. At the negotiations, representatives from countries around the world work through technical texts and share updates on achieving the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty adopted in 2015, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century. In parallel, they set the Action Agenda, which aims to push collaborative commitments and actions beyond the negotiated outcomes, among cities, businesses, indigenous leaders, and society.

The 30^th Conference of the Parties (COP30), took place this year in Belém, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, bringing the conference directly in touch with nature. The Brazilian Presidency led the dialogue on deforestation and replenishing funds for indigenous land rights, as well as launching the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) to build a long-term financing mechanism for tropical forests.

COP30 aspired to be a moment when the world shifted from ambition to implementation. As set out in the Brazilian Presidency’s series of letters, a further layer was developed for this COP process – the global mutirão spirit – a collective, community-driven mobilisation to encourage climate action worldwide.

Why is diverse representation so important, and how did this play out at COP30?

In the streets of Belém, you could feel the strength of the mutirão spirit, both driven by the Presidency and through individuals. There was a much a larger presence of indigenous peoples, demanding the protection of their territories. I was lucky enough to join the Yaku Mama Flotilla on the last leg of their journey, having travelled 3000 km by boat from the Andean glaciers of Ecuador to Belém I got to listen to their stories and realities of declining biodiversity, illegal gold mining, deforestation and fossil fuel extraction.

However, it is clear that there still remain huge gaps in our support to actively protect these indigenous nature defenders, with the shocking killing of an Indigenous Guarani leader, reportedly linked to local landowners, happening whilst COP30 was underway. Poignantly put by Ana Lucía Ixchíu Hernández, Maya K’iche’ leader from Guatemala, “We are not criminals, we are not terrorists, we demand to be alive to continue doing our work for life and biodiversity”.

In the Official Blue Zone, this COP had the largest indigenous participation in history, which helped to influence important COP30 outcomes, such as mentions of Indigenous rights in the Just Transition Work Programme and the 160 million hectares of land recognised by the Intergovernmental Land Tenure commitment. Their involvement helped keep nature at the forefront of official discussions, however, it is important to remember that, given that the negotiations remain state-led, indigenous and local people’s role was primarily consultative without voting rights or formal decision-making power.

COP30 highlighted both progress in elevating indigenous and local voices and continued gaps in meeting their needs for protection and to be fully included in decision-making. Still, there were three things that hit me: their true connection to Mother Earth, their will to protect her and the strength of their resistance.

Key Takeaways from COP30

Although COP30 had the promise to be a turning point, we still fell short in certain areas. Key topics of negotiation on nature ended up weakened, with both the fossil fuel phase-out roadmaps and the goal to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030 missing from the final decision text.

Positively, Brazil’s ambition for nature could still be seen in the mutirão decision text, which included references to the role of indigenous and local people.

Away from the negotiating table, we did see nature in the climate debate:

• Brazil’s flagship Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) successfully raised over $6.7bn for tropical forests and was approved by 53 countries.
• Many countries updated their national plans to combat climate change, with increased references to nature and oceans as a climate solution.
• The Wildfire Resilience Alliance was launched to combat wildfires, which are among the most destructive manifestations of climate change, and approved by 50 countries.
• The Intergovernmental Land Tenure commitment recognised 160 million hectares of indigenous and local lands, with $1.8 billion pledged to conserve and protect them s.

COP30 may not have delivered the breakthrough hoped for by many, but it did continue to move the dial for nature. The spirit I felt in Belém offered a seed of hope that people are fighting for the rights of nature.

At GCT, the message of hope runs through everything we do. As we celebrate 30 years of GCT and look ahead to the next 30 years and beyond our vision has never been more clear: thriving islands and healthy oceans, with people at the heart of every story. A place that gives hope.