Belém, Brazil (November 7, 2025) — The COP30 Leaders’ Summit concluded today with major announcements and pledges from world leaders, as well as political calls to action ahead of the formal negotiations beginning on November 10.

New initiatives and commitments included the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a major finance mechanism to protect forests; pledges for Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ finance and land rights; a pledge to quadruple 'sustainable fuels'; a Call to Action on Wildfire Resilience; and the Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty and Human-Centered Climate Action.

Following is a statement from Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO, World Resources Institute:

“Leaders made the journey to Belém to show that investing in cleaner, more resilient economies isn’t just about the environment — it’s about long-term security and competitiveness. They showed they are transitioning their economies with green growth at the core, even as they recognized there’s still a long way to go.

“Nature was the star of the show, and rightly so in the heart of the Amazon. While we’ve made incredible progress on renewable energy and electric vehicles, leaders are now stressing that nature must also be central to the climate battle. Their pledges showed that action is not just about protecting trees. It’s about building an economy around standing forests that supports the people who depend on them, making sure they have land rights and access to finance.

“The energy transition also took the spotlight. Some countries pledged to transition away from fossil fuels toward ‘sustainable fuels,' but they must ensure the solutions they choose don’t trigger unintended consequences like more deforestation.

“Cities took center stage at the Local Leaders Forum in Rio, where more than 14,000 cities, towns, states, regions and provinces affirmed their commitment to advancing on-the-ground climate solutions. The local level is where ambition turns into action. Stronger partnerships between national and subnational governments will be key to accelerating results.

“It’s no surprise that Brazil and emerging economies across the Global South are leading the charge to unite the climate, nature and people agendas — from launching the Tropical Forest Forever Facility to advancing a declaration tackling hunger and poverty. These countries are showing that development and decarbonization go hand in hand.

“As countries now move toward official negotiations, the hard work begins. Many leaders have stepped up with new national climate commitments to cut emissions. But there remains a major gap between those plans and the critical benchmark of 1.5C — both in countries’ goals and the action to achieve them. COP30 in Belem needs to confront this gap head on.

“Governments need to reaffirm the 1.5C target, the benchmark for a livable, healthy planet, and agree to a roadmap that drastically accelerates implementation. Countries should also spell out clear strategies to transition major sectors and support workers, including in energy, forests & agriculture, and transport —both for the next five years and for the long-term path to net zero.

“And finally, adaptation will be a major focus. Some developing countries are calling for a new goal to triple adaptation finance by 2030. This looks possible by 2035 but only if every source steps up — from development banks and bilateral aid to new concessional finance and scaled private investment — and the system works better as a whole."