What happened at Cop30 and why it matters?

COP30 opens in Belem, Brasil

We can’t deny it, this year’s COP didn’t deliver on what many of us were hoping for. The roadmap away from fossil fuels was backed by more than 80 countries, but didn’t make it into the final text. Action on deforestation was limited, and questions about whether the annual COP format is still fit for purpose grew louder. Plenty of us were left feeling frustrated and disappointed.

However, let’s remember two things can be true at once: we can feel disappointment and still act with determination. Hope is not naive. It is fuel. As Climate Outreach’s COP30 guidance reminds us, clear, balanced and hopeful storytelling matters, especially for sustainable businesses speaking to their own communities. How we talk about progress, setbacks and solutions shapes what happens next.

Momentum behind the roadmap to transition away from coal, oil and gas did grow. Even though it didn’t make the final COP30 outcome, many countries and businesses signed up to a voluntary commitment.

A new Just Transition Mechanism was agreed upon, described by many as one of the strongest rights-based outcomes in UN climate talks, designed to ensure that the shift to a green economy is fair for workers, women, Indigenous peoples and other frontline communities. Funding isn’t clear yet, but its adoption is a big step towards social justice being recognised as an important part of climate policy.

We also saw progress on finance, even if it fell short. Brazil’s Tropical Forests Forever Facility secured over $6 billion in initial pledges, less than hoped, but a starting point that can grow.

Countries also agreed to triple global adaptation finance by 2035, a commitment that comes five years later than developing nations wanted; still, it is more than was on the table last year.

The global picture is only part of the story. Local action is accelerating fast. When Sumi attended Dorset COP this year, a smaller localised gathering of communities in Dorset, the loudest message was will, the willingness of communities, councils and organisations to get on with things regardless of the pace of global politics. Global change matters, but what we do in our own nations, communities, companies and homes matters too.