Draft of COP30 final letter lists proposals to curb global warming
The draft final letter from the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) brings together a series of recommendations to accelerate global climate action and attempt to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The text reinforces that the goal established in the Paris Agreement in 2015 remains “alive,” but requires efforts defined by timetables and implementation mechanisms, especially with regard to ending the use of fossil fuels.
Governments, society, indigenous peoples, and experts point out that, in order to break cycles of inequality and environmental destruction, it is necessary to combine science, climate justice, adequate financing, and the effective participation of those who live in the most affected territories.
The document highlights that COP30 should deliver an agreement that puts the world “on track for net-zero emissions” by mid-century, in line with the scientific horizon of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). To this end, it argues that countries should move forward with clear guidelines for reducing the production and use of fossil fuels, including targets for the phasing out of coal and a substantial reduction in oil and gas. The proposal includes mechanisms for international cooperation to ensure a just transition in regions dependent on these sectors.
The text reinforces that limiting warming to 1.5 °C depends on a new global pact based on equity. In particular, it highlights that countries historically responsible for emissions need to increase their targets and provide accessible and adequate financial resources.
Expanding climate finance is treated as a priority, including tools for adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, and support for local initiatives led by indigenous peoples and traditional communities. The draft indicates that “without predictable and sufficient financing, there is no way to make viable the transition that the planet requires.”
The document also points out that COP30 should strengthen the newly created Loss and Damage Fund. The goal is to ensure that communities affected by extreme events – such as droughts, floods, and climate-induced disasters – have simplified and direct access to resources.
The text notes that current financing regimes are slow, bureaucratic, and incompatible with the magnitude of the impacts already occurring around the world. According to the draft, COP30 should move toward “a global protection system that recognizes that loss and damage are already part of the climate reality.”
Climate adaptation, the document says, needs to occupy the same political space as mitigation. The Belém proposal suggests building a more robust global framework, with clear metrics to measure progress and instruments to guide strategic investments in resilient infrastructure, water security, health care, food systems, coastal protection, and disaster risk reduction. The text argues that adaptation policies should prioritize vulnerable regions and incorporate traditional knowledge.
The draft pays special attention to indigenous peoples, quilombolas, and traditional communities, stressing that their contributions are essential to maintaining forests, protecting biodiversity, and strengthening climate resilience. The document proposes expanding the participation of these groups in formal United Nations spaces and reinforces that climate decisions cannot ignore their territorial rights. Among the guidelines, it states that “free, prior, and informed consultation must be respected as a non-negotiable principle and a pillar of climate justice.”
Another point emphasized is the strategic role of just energy transitions. The document proposes expanding investments in renewable energy, transmission networks, and decentralized energy access systems, especially in regions such as the Amazon. The text also underscores the need to support workers and regions whose livelihoods depend on the fossil fuel chain, to ensure that the transition reduces inequalities.
The international trade agenda also appears as a key element of the transition. The text recommends greater coherence between trade, climate, and biodiversity to ensure that trade flows do not encourage deforestation, predatory exploitation of natural resources, or socio-environmental violations. It also points out that trade policies should support developing countries in accessing sustainable markets, clean technologies, and value-added opportunities.
The text includes guidelines on food systems, sustainable agriculture, ecological restoration, nature-based solutions, and green financing. In the view of the draft’s authors, COP30 needs to demonstrate that multilateralism is still capable of responding to the climate emergency, especially in a context of strong pressure for concrete results. It states that “it is no longer possible to postpone structural actions,” calling on countries to make commitments that can be translated into real public policies.
According to the report, Belém should mark a turning point for the global climate regime. The city that symbolizes the Amazon rainforest and is home to peoples who are guardians of biodiversity is seen as the ideal stage to reaffirm that the climate crisis can only be addressed with justice, equity, and popular participation. COP30 is presented as a historic opportunity to “rebuild the world’s relationship with nature” and ensure a safe and dignified future for all generations.
