The world will gather for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, deep in the Amazon rainforest, ten years after the landmark Paris climate agreement was approved by 195 countries at COP21.

We are being held back by dangerous gaps - between words and action, between promises and reality. Countries have made commitments, but there is still a wide chasm between pledges and what science demands - let alone what is being implemented. These gaps are measured in lost lives, lost livelihoods, and lost time. COP30 must be the moment we #CloseTheGap. 

Progress has not been fast enough – we need to more and do it faster. The choices we make over the next five years will shape the planet for generations to come. Decisions taken in Belém could help chart that path. To ensure a liveable planet, WWF expects urgent progress across each of the following areas:

Closing the Gap: 1.5°C aligned NDCs and Action Agenda restructured and strongly aligned with negotiations outcomes

Climate finance: finance for climate action, tropical forests agreed (whether framework, process or actual amounts

Saving tropical forests: halting and reversing deforestation and ecosystem degradation further incorporated into climate negotiations, and a new climate nature workstream created

Adaptation: adequate finance for climate adaptation agreed, Global Goal on Adaptation operationalized

Energy Transition: phase out fossil fuels timeline is agreed, triple renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030

Time is running out, but we are not out of options. We know that emissions must decline by almost half compared to 2019 levels by 2030. We know what the main driver of climate change is. We know that the G20, being the world’s largest economies, are responsible for 85% of global emissions. 

This existential threat to the world is not inevitable. It is a matter of choices. Solutions are within reach. We can choose to shift away from polluting fossil fuels, and scale up renewable energy, transform our food systems, and protect and restore nature, including halting deforestation.

Taking climate action now not only helps prevent the worst impacts of climate change, but it also builds healthier communities, stronger economies, and safer futures.

Policy brief: COP30 Expectations Paper - download here

Policy brief: Climate Manifesto 2025 – download here

Policy brief: COP30 Package on Ending Deforestation & Ecosystem Conversion – download here

Policy brief: Phasing out Fossil Fuels - download here

Guidance for Policymakers: Phasing Out Fossil Fuels Through NDCs 3.0 – download here