What to expect at COP30 – and why many CSOs are sitting this one out

After several disappointing climate conferences, expectations for this year’s COP30 are particularly high – with countries due to present renewed national climate plans for the next 10 years. So what’s at stake in Belém, and why are many Chief Sustainability Officers choosing to watch it from afar?

COP30 is widely expected to be a consequential climate summit. This is partly because of its timing – 10 years after the signing of the Paris Agreement and five years away from the first significant deadline for climate targets, with new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) due in 2025. It is also because of its location, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, symbolising greater Indigenous participation, growing Global South cooperation and the importance of biodiversity preservation to tackle climate change.