Historic Conference in Brazil to Bring Global Attention to the Amazon
Since the 29th UN Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, closed to mixed reviews last year, all eyes have turned to COP30, set to take place in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025. Belém, the capital of Pará state and a gateway to the Amazon Rainforest, is gearing up for this historic conference on the environment. The Amazon plays a crucial role in protecting the global natural environment, and many hope that COP30 will be the turning point for tackling some of Earth’s most urgent environmental challenges.
The conference will focus on how countries can work together to fight climate change and how they can fund and align their efforts with the goals of the Paris Agreement. With Brazil’s Amazon region hosting the event for the first time, climate watchers are excited about what could happen in Belém to save the region and the planet.
The Amazon: A Global Stage
Belém is expected to welcome over 60,000 people from 193 nations around the world. To prepare for the huge event, both local and federal governments in Brazil have been working hard to make sure the city is ready. The main goal is to showcase Brazil's commitment to tackling climate change, while also highlighting the importance of protecting the Amazon.
What Are NDCs?
One key part of the COP30 preparations is the submission of Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs. These are plans that every country must submit to the United Nations to show how they will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and otherwise fight climate change. The deadline for submitting updated NDCs is February 2025, and their content will be central to discussions at COP30.
NDCs are submitted every five years, and each country is expected to gradually make their goals more ambitious. For example, Brazil's NDC for 2035 aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 59% to 67% compared to 2005 levels. The United Kingdom (UK) has set an ambitious target to reduce emissions by 81% by 2035, and plans to be the first major country to fully decarbonize its power system by 2030. Near the end of the Biden presidency, the White House announced a new 2035 target for the US: “a 61-66 percent reduction” in greenhouse gas emissions.
Not all NDCs have the same focus. For instance, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have yet to address how they will phase out fossil fuels, despite earlier promises made at COP28.
The UN says NDCs “embody” national commitments to reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. As the new NDCs roll in, they are expected to shape conversations at COP30 about how to meet the target of reaching “net zero” emissions by 2050.
For access to information (including updates) on the NDCs of each nation, recorded in a public registry maintained by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, click here.
Sources:
Comments