In a novel decision at COP30, a draft negotiating text from the just transitions debate recognised the role of energy transition minerals in the just transition.

For Africa, the political symbolism of recognition would be significant. It would signal that the international community understands that climate justice cannot be achieved through generic frameworks alone and reaffirm that the climate regime is not blind to the particularities of geography, history, and structural inequality. And, most importantly, it would show that multilateralism can still deliver fairness in an increasingly fragmented global order.

As negotiations continue at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, they offer an opportunity to showcase the critical contribution of ecosystems in addressing the impacts of climate change.

Negotiations at COP30 were thrown into disarray early Friday morning after protesters from the Brazilian Amazon blocked the main entrance, disprupting entry and causing scheduling chaos in discussion rooms and pavilions.

More than 200 civil society organisations from around the world, Indigenous Peoples, governors, mayors, faith leaders, agencies and companies have urged national government delegations to ‘‘champion a strong, ambitious, and mandatory decision at COP30 to uphold information integrity on climate change.

On the second day of COP30, the summit venue turned purple as members of civil society, politicians, negotiators, and the business community donned purple to show solidarity with women.  

On the third day of COP30 negotiations, countries took a cautious but significant step forward in talks on National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), agreeing to use the informal notes from COP29 as the basis for this year’s discussions.

The Baku to Belém Roadmap report, published recently by the COP30 presidency, proposes ‘‘5 action fronts’’ to accelerate the provision of finance to drive climate action in poor, climate-vulnerable developing nations. In this piece, Power Shift Africa assesses the 5 action fronts and their relevance to the mobilisation of resources. 

At its core, the disagreement is not just about indicators, but the politics of responsibility. The African Group and other developing country blocs argue that adaptation tracking should not become a backdoor means of shifting obligations or imposing new compliance burdens on those least responsible for the climate crisis.

To omit finance from adaptation indicators is to deny the debt owed by those who built their prosperity on centuries of unchecked emissions, and it is to treat adaptation as optional when, for millions, it is existential.

The Baku to Belém Roadmap to US$1.3 trillion was supposed to be the missing link between aspiration and accountability, but as COP30 gets underway, there is a palpable sense that the roadmap to the NCQG is fading from focus. 

The EU’s CBAM claims to fight climate change by pricing carbon at the border, but for Africa, it looks less like climate cooperation and more like economic coercion dressed in green.

The 2025 deadline for developed countries to fulfil the Glasgow pledge to double international public adaptation finance from 2019 levels is on track to become another broken promise. 

Here’s what you need to know before landing in Belém for the biggest climate gathering of the year.