To many people, climate change adaptation is a complex, technical, and abstract concept. While it has risen to the top of multilateral climate negotiations in recent years, many people still struggle to understand its application in real life.  

To the average African, the standard definition provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) hasn’t improved the understanding.   

But away from climate negotiation jargon, what is adaptation? What does it mean to communities at the lowest level of society where the sting of climate change is most felt?

The UNEA is the world’s highest-level decision-making body for environmental matters. Its membership is universal, comprising all the 193 UN Member States.  

Fronted by Colombia, the draft resolution calls for an Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group to identify options for international instruments, whether binding or not, for coordinated global action on the environmentally sound management of minerals and metals with a view to reducing environmental impacts.

COP30, billed as the ‘adaptation COP’, was a crucial moment to rebuild trust in multilateralism generally, and adaptation, more specifically. It was the first time that adaptation would finally take center stage after years of living in mitigation’s shadow.  

When countries met at COP1 in Berlin, Germany, in 1995, the goal was to address the climate crisis by making new commitments and strengthening existing ones. Thirty years later, this spirit of committing to a just, fair, and secure climate future carries on.

If wealthy nations are guilty of triggering the climate crisis, they are twice as guilty of doing little to combat the breakdown while frustrating ambitious action. 

When the Week One draft on just transition at COP30 recognised the role of green minerals—and the environmental and social risks in their supply chains—it sparked real optimism. Negotiators were finally connecting just transition pathways with protecting natural ecosystems.

But just a week later, the final “Global Mutirão’’ agreement dropped all references to minerals, extinguishing that hope

The High Court in Kenya has declared sections of the country’s Seed and Plant Varieties Act unconstitutional. This section of the law criminalised farmers for saving, sharing or exchanging unregistered seeds.

In 2016, amendments to the Seed and Plant Varieties Act introduced costly registration requirements and imposed penalties of up to KES 1,000,000 or jail terms for anyone handling uncertified seed. This effectively made the informal seed systems used for generations by the majority of Kenyan farmers, particularly smallholders who sustained Kenya’s agriculture and food security, illegal.

Established at the UN climate talks in Belem, Brazil, the Just Transition Mechanism is the first major win for workers, communities and for climate, as the global transition from dirty fuels accelerates into the future.  

COP30 may be over, but these 5 unforgettable moments from Belém will live on—etched in the memories of those who spoke up for a livable planet.

From the beginning, GGA negotiations were expected to be one of the fiercest battlegrounds at COP30 in Belem, Brazil. In the end, this came to pass at the closing plenary, and more. 

What stood out about this COP? What were the hits, the misses, and the lessons? In this blog, we analyse what climate justice experts from around the world said about the COP30 outcomes.

The political elevation and early wins for adaptation at COP30 were short-lived. They failed to translate to a strong COP outcome. 

When Turkey prevailed over Australia to become the host of next year’s COP31, it was a reward for the Turks’ unbending intent and resolve, but also a test of resilience for their Pacific fellow contenders.

COP30 is meant to be the moment when the world finally put the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) to work.  But as negotiations enter their final moments, Parties must move beyond just technical progress on adaptation to find political courage to secure a comprehensive and ambitious adaptation package.  

Welcome to the Power Shift Africa COP30 live blog. 

By fast-tracking the political package the COP30 Presidency is preparing to take control of the process, compress timelines and drive ministers toward a landing zone, whether or not negotiators feel the deal is fully baked.

Shocking findings by publications DeSmog and The Guardian reveal that more than 300 industrial agriculture lobbyists are participating in events at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Climate finance is that part of climate negotiations that makes most people’s eyes glaze over. It sounds abstract but it’s actually the beating heart of whether the global climate response works or collapses under its own hypocrisy. Here is a dummy’s guide to climate finance at COP30.

The Tropical Forests Forever Facility, launched as the country’s flagship initiative ahead of COP30 in Belém, is being sold as a game-changing idea and a permanent financing mechanism for countries that protect tropical forests.

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.