What’s going on at COP30? You wouldn’t know much by reading the mainstream media, other than the relatively mild protests and the usual infrastructure problems nearly all U.N. climate summits face. But what should companies know about the substance of the event?
In this episode of our Two Steps Forward podcast, my co-host, consultant Solitaire Townsend and I take stock — her from inside the Blue Zone at COP30 in sweltering Belém, Brazil, and me, comfortably, at home.
Despite what global headlines suggest — a swirl of heat, humidity, flooding, bad food, logistical breakdowns and even “violent” (according to media reports) Indigenous protests — Townsend paints a more textured, human and hopeful picture of what’s actually happening on the ground. COPs are always messy, she reminds us. And this one may simply be messier.
Along the way, she asked a number of fellow attendees, “What would two steps forward be for COP30?”
What’s different this year
What distinguishes COP30 from its predecessors, Townsend argues, is the emergence of a formally recognized Action Agenda, Brazil’s plan to integrate hundreds of climate-aligned initiatives directly into the official Paris negotiation process.
For the first time, efforts historically considered “side events” — on forests, culture, mobility, health, the built environment, Indigenous rights and more — have been vetted, validated and added to the COP program itself. As Townsend notes, there are now over 200 PASs (for “Plan to Accelerate the Solution”). Each must set goals, outline implementation plans and report progress.
It may sound procedural, but the implications are significant. Governments still negotiate the “floor” — the minimal outcomes required under the Paris Agreement. But these action agendas represent the “ceiling” — what coalitions of governments, companies, nonprofits and communities are willing to do voluntarily and collaboratively.
This year, for the first time, the ceiling is formally incorporated into the main structure.
On the ground: Heat, color and humanity
It’s impossible to ignore the physical intensity: temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit, humidity near saturation, long queues and limited shade. So intense, in fact, that COP organizers emailed attendees beforehand encouraging them not to wear business attire in order to avoid heat stress. The result, said Townsend, is the most colorful COP she’s attended, with bright shirts, sundresses, indigenous garments and Amazonian prints replacing the usual sea of gray suits. And with that, the energy between people seems to have shifted.
She also reminds us of the often-invisible labor force: thousands of young, local volunteers who guide, translate, manage crowds, clean facilities and proudly wear their COP30 T-shirts. Their enthusiasm, she says, is its own climate solution.
Violent protests?
While the international press breathlessly reported “violent clashes,” Townsend offered a reality check. A small group of Indigenous activists pushed through a COP entrance, resulting in what she described as “the tiniest of tussles” — hardly the baton-swinging melee portrayed in the media. Another much larger indigenous protest formed a peaceful,