As the world braces for the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, from November 10–21, 2025, the stakes for transformative climate action have never been higher. Hosted in the heart of the Amazon, COP30 marks a critical juncture to address the escalating climate crisis while prioritizing human rights, particularly for children, Indigenous communities, and environmental defenders. With global temperatures breaching the 1.5°C Paris Agreement threshold in 2024 and only five years left to halve emissions by 2030, the conference must move beyond rhetoric to deliver tangible, rights-based solutions. Drawing on insights from the Child Rights International Network (CRIN) and other sources.
The Urgency of COP30: A Climate and Human Rights Crisis
The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but a lived reality, with 2024 declared the warmest year on record. Extreme weather events—blistering heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and droughts—have devastated communities, economies, and ecosystems worldwide. In Brazil, the host of COP30, the Amazon faces drought and wildfires, while Rio Grande do Sul reels from extreme rainfall. These impacts disproportionately harm vulnerable populations, including children, Indigenous peoples, and low-income communities, who bear the least responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions.
COP30, marking a decade since the Paris Agreement, is a pivotal moment to align climate action with human rights. The conference follows a disappointing COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where negotiations yielded a $300 billion annual climate finance pledge by 2035—far below the $1.3 trillion demanded by developing nations. With Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) due by February 2025, COP30 must deliver ambitious, equitable plans to keep global warming below 1.5°C while safeguarding the rights to life, food, water, and a healthy environment.
A Human Rights Lens: Why It Matters
The Child Rights International Network (CRIN), in its analysis of COP30, emphasizes that climate talks must prioritize human rights to drive meaningful change. Climate change infringes on fundamental rights, particularly for children, who face increased risks of malnutrition, disease, and educational disruptions due to extreme weather. Indigenous communities, like those in the Amazon, risk losing their lands and cultural heritage to deforestation and climate impacts. Environmental defenders, often targeted for their activism, need stronger protections to ensure safe civic spaces.
CRIN argues that COP30 must integrate human rights into climate policies by:
Protecting Civic Space: Ensuring environmental defenders and activists can advocate without fear of violence or censorship.
Prioritizing Climate Justice: Addressing the disproportionate impacts on marginalized groups, including children, women, and Indigenous peoples.
Securing Adequate Finance: Providing new, predictable funding to support vulnerable communities in adapting to climate impacts.
This human rights-based approach aligns with calls from organizations like Amnesty International and Global Witness, which advocate for centering communities and defenders in climate decision-making.
COP30’s Unique Opportunity in the Amazon
Hosting COP30 in Belém, the gateway to the Amazon, underscores the critical link between climate and biodiversity. The Amazon, home to 60% of the world’s largest rainforest and thousands of Indigenous communities, faces a potential tipping point due to deforestation and climate change. COP30 President-Designate André Aranha Corrêa do Lago has called for a “movement of movements,” urging global collaboration to address climate, biodiversity, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) synergistically.
Brazil’s leadership offers a chance to showcase sustainable practices, such as renewable energy and low-carbon agriculture, building on its legacy from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The conference’s food strategy, prioritizing organic, locally sourced products from Indigenous and family farmers, reflects a commitment to sustainability and cultural respect. By highlighting these efforts, COP30 can set a global standard for integrating environmental and social justice.
Key Priorities for COP30: A Roadmap to Change
To deliver the change needed, COP30 must address several critical areas, each rooted in human rights principles:
Ambitious and Equitable NDCs
Countries must submit updated NDCs by February 2025, outlining plans to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts. However, preliminary talks in Bonn, Germany, in June 2025 revealed slow progress, with fewer than 30 of 200 countries submitting drafts. The Guardian reports that current NDCs are unlikely to meet the 1.5°C target, risking a summit labeled as a failure unless Brazil finds ways to bridge gaps between nations. COP30 must push for science-led, ambitious NDCs with clear implementation strategies, particularly for developing countries needing financial support.
Climate Finance for Vulnerable Communities
COP29’s $300 billion annual pledge by 2035 disappointed developing nations, who sought $1.3 trillion to address climate impacts. At COP30, the “Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3T” aims to scale up finance, blending public and private sources. CRIN and Amnesty International stress that funding must be new, predictable, and directed to communities most affected, such as those facing loss and damage from floods and droughts. Transparent accountability mechanisms are essential to ensure funds reach those in need.
Gender and Youth Inclusion
Gender equity and youth empowerment are critical for effective climate action. At COP29, only 34% of participants and 8 of 77 opening speakers were women, highlighting persistent underrepresentation. The absence of gender- and age-disaggregated data in climate policies limits targeted interventions. COP30 must prioritize women and youth, particularly from the Global South, by ensuring their voices shape negotiations and by adopting standardized data collection to track impacts on these groups.
Just Transition and Fossil Fuel Phase-Out
The Climate Action Network (CAN) emphasizes that COP30 must advance the Just Transition Work Programme, embedding social protections like job retraining and community investment in climate policies. A fair and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels is urgent to meet the 2030 emissions target, with Brazil’s Amazon setting the stage for advocating nature-based solutions and renewable energy.
Protecting Environmental Defenders
Global Witness highlights the need to protect environmental defenders, who face increasing threats for opposing fossil fuel projects and deforestation. COP30 must establish robust protections for civic space, ensuring activists can advocate freely and safely.
Challenges and Opportunities
COP30 faces significant hurdles. Geopolitical tensions, including the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under President Trump, and slow progress in Bonn negotiations signal resistance from fossil fuel producers and their allies. Developing countries, like South Africa, have voiced frustration over inadequate funding, with delegate Richard Sherman noting, “There is no money.” These challenges risk derailing progress unless Brazil can foster consensus and accountability.
Yet, COP30’s Amazon setting offers unique opportunities. The WWF and Global Alliance for the Future of Food advocate for a climate-nature nexus, recognizing ecosystems like the Amazon as carbon sinks critical to mitigation. Brazil’s push for sustainable food systems and Indigenous-led solutions can inspire global action, while initiatives like the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) events in São Paulo will amplify investor voices for net-zero transitions.
A Fresh Angle: Empowering the Next Generation
While much focus is on government commitments, COP30’s success hinges on empowering the next generation—children and youth who will inherit the consequences of today’s decisions. CRIN’s call to center children’s rights highlights their unique vulnerability to climate impacts, from disrupted education to health risks. By integrating youth perspectives into NDCs and ensuring their participation in negotiations, COP30 can foster a sense of ownership among young people, turning them into advocates for sustainable change. Brazil’s emphasis on local, Indigenous-led solutions can serve as a model, inspiring youth globally to demand accountability from leaders.
A Call for Climate Justice
COP30 in Belém is more than a climate conference—it’s a chance to redefine global climate action through a human rights lens. By prioritizing the rights of children, Indigenous communities, women, and environmental defenders, the summit can address the systemic inequities that exacerbate the climate crisis. With ambitious NDCs, robust climate finance, and a commitment to just transitions, COP30 can bridge the gap between promises and action. As the world watches, Brazil’s leadership in the Amazon could spark a “movement of movements,” delivering the climate justice needed to secure a liveable future for all.
