At the COP30 climate summit governments, businesses, cities and other actors need to focus on closing three climate action gaps: the mitigation gap, the adaptation gap, and the finance gap. Taking place in the heart of the Amazon, COP30 is a unique opportunity to deliver a ‘nature package’ that recognises nature as a climate ally and ensures that protecting nature and cutting emissions happen in parallel. 

Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International, said: “Climate change is moving faster than we are, leaving no part of the world untouched. Despite some progress, global efforts to cut emissions are far short of what is needed to avoid dangerous tipping points with worsening risks for people and nature. The decisions taken in Belém and the choices made over the next five years will shape the planet for generations to come.” 

The past ten years have been the ten warmest years on record. Around the world, blistering heat waves, raging wildfires and catastrophic storms and floods have been devastating lives, economies, and ecosystems. The world is crossing its first climate tipping point, with the widespread dying of warm-water coral reefs, and is dangerously close to others. This includes the dieback of the Amazon rainforest. 

Progress on meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement has been too slow, and there are major gaps between promises and delivery. The EU’s own NDC, cobbled together at the very last minute and riddled with loopholes, falls far short of a fair contribution to keeping temperature rise to 1.5°C. 

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF Global Climate and Energy Lead, and COP20 President, said: “We cannot afford another cycle of promises without delivery. COP30 must send a clear, unambiguous signal that the era of delay is over. This is the moment to turn words into action by setting a timeline for phasing out fossil fuels, scaling up renewables, and ensuring the most vulnerable are supported.” 

“Solutions exist in every economic sector; what is missing is the will to implement them. If we seize this opportunity, we can close the gaps that threaten our future and rebuild trust in global climate action.” 

Closing climate action gaps 

To close the mitigation gap, countries must deliver ambitious climate plans that will sharply cut global greenhouse gas emissions. Countries should also agree on a timetable for the transition away from fossil fuels including specified milestones and commitment to the expansion of renewable energy.  

To close the adaptation gap, countries must adopt the indicators needed under the Global Goal on Adaptation which will serve as the basis for planning, financing, reporting, implementing, and assessing adaptation action. They must also agree on a new commitment to at least triple adaptation finance.  

To close the finance gap, countries must commit to significantly scale up finance for climate action. They need to meet the new climate finance goal of at least €260 billion annually by 2035 for developing countries, with a further goal of scaling up to €1.2 trillion. This should take the form of an action plan with clear responsibilities and yearly targets for increasing climate finance between now and 2035. Countries must also boost their contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund.  

Nature package 

Nature has absorbed about half of all human-caused CO2 emissions, but ecosystems are under severe threat from climate change and destruction.

WWF urges governments to provide the next steps on their existing commitment from COP28 to conserve, protect, and restore nature and ecosystems, including through halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. WWF proposes that countries create a work programme on climate and nature to ensure the delivery of these commitments and alignment with the UN Global Biodiversity Framework. 

Notes to Editor

You can find full details of the outcomes needed in Belém in WWF’s COP30 Expectations Paper, which is available here.
 
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