ECO 11, COP30
After the Fire, When the World Stopped Burning
As we evacuated the COP30 venue yesterday – smoke still hanging in the air – the first feeling was relief: no delegates injured, no workers harmed. When that subsided, something quieter but heavier took its place – a recognition of the moment we are moving through, and of what this space still makes possible.
Beyond these walls, the world is fracturing. Violence in so many places, trust worn thin, entire communities carrying more than anyone should have to bear. And yet here, in this improbable gathering we call the COP, people from every region continue to meet and work on a crisis none of us can face alone. It should not function. And somehow, it does.
ECO is often told we “only listen to the South.” The truth is simpler: our listening has not changed. What has changed is the stance of several Northern countries. Their willingness to acknowledge the responsibility they carry has weakened, even as their power to shape global rules remains intact. That shift matters. Trust in this process depends on recognising where power lies – and how it is used.
ECO’s only allegiance is to independent civil societies who come here to protect their communities’ futures. We propose. We call out. We push. We stay with the work.
We came to Belém hoping for a Just Transition outcome – the BAM – not as a cure-all, but as a signal: that social and economic justice will finally become part of the core architecture, not an occasional side conversation. That the transition away from fossil fuels will be built in a way people can actually survive. And because we believe every government here can agree on that basic truth, letting some much-needed air back into this process.
This is a difficult moment to reach agreement. Difficult to listen. Difficult not to imagine the worst. And yet this is exactly when we must resist the slide into distrust.
A Just Transition begins with accepting that change is hard, that slogans will not deliver it, and that leaving it to chance will only deepen harm. It needs cooperation, anticipation, and support – the quiet work that turns ambition into something real.
The BAM may not be the outcome every Party expected. But who stands against an affirmation of care, justice, and shared responsibility? The old saying still holds: you may not get what you want, but you might get what you need.
After yesterday’s fire, that truth felt sharper. COP is brittle, frustrating, imperfect – and still one of the last places where the world tries to hold itself together in the face of crisis.
A small flame, held in common. Worth protecting.
Obrigado pela sua coragem/Thank you for your courage
O incêndio que deflagrou ontem na área do pavilhão da Zona Azul foi um lembrete contundente para todos nós do que significa ter humanidade. Enquanto as chamas ameaçavam se alastrar, indivíduos – funcionários, voluntários, bombeiros e seguranças do local – demostraram uma coragem e heroísmo incríveis, garantindo a segurança de todos, correndo grandes riscos. Estamos profundamente gratos a cada pessoa que arriscou o seu próprio bem-estar para ajudar outros, guiando delegados para um local seguro e correndo em direção às chamas para conter o incêndio. As vossas ações altruístas personificam os nossos mais profundos valores de cuidado coletivo, bravura e altruísmo. Obrigado pelo vosso compromisso inabalável com estes valores, que são absolutamente essenciais para a nossa humanidade individual e coletiva. Esperamos que, com a aproximação do fim da COP30, as Partes sigam o vosso exemplo e proporcionem a justiça que as pessoas em todo o mundo merecem, enquanto enfrentamos uma crise climática cada vez pior.
English
The fire that broke out yesterday in the pavilion area of the Blue Zone was a stark reminder to all of us of what having humanity looks like. As the flames threatened to spread, individuals – staff, volunteers, firefighters and security at the venue – showed incredible courage and heroism as they made sure that everybody was safe, at great risk to themselves. We are profoundly grateful to every individual who risked their own well-being to help others, shepherding delegates to safety, and running toward the flames to contain the blaze. Your selfless actions embody our deepest values of collective care, bravery and selflessness. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to these values that are absolutely essential for our individual and collective humanity. We hope that, as COP30 nears completion, Parties follow your example and deliver the justice that people around the world deserve as we confront a worsening climate crisis.
Civil society calls for an “Ambitious Adaptation Package from COP30”
The right-based constituencies, including Climate Action Network, YOUNGO and Women and Gender, are together calling for an ambitious adaptation outcome from COP30.
As the final hours of the COP30 climate summit in Belém approach, the familiar spectacle of weary negotiators and last-minute brinkmanship is underway. Yet, beneath the procedural wrangling lies a critical test of the international community’s credibility on climate change. For too long, adaptation has been the poor cousin of climate diplomacy, receiving rhetorical support but insufficient action and funding. COP30 must mark the end of this era by delivering a comprehensive and indivisible adaptation package. This includes:
- The Finance Floor: We demand a new adaptation public finance commitment of at least $120 billion per year by 2030 from developed to developing countries. The new finance commitment must be predominantly grant-based to avoid burdening developing nations with further debt. Without this financial bedrock, the elegant frameworks and targets discussed in air-conditioned conference halls will remain theoretical.
- Beyond Tokenism: The entire adaptation package must ensure equitable implementation through meaningful inclusion of women and gender diverse peoples, Indigenous Peoples, children and youth, persons with disabilities, people of African descent and other marginalised groups, not merely in the preamble of decisions, but woven into the Global Goal on Adaptation framework.
- Indicators for the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience must include means of implementation indicators that measure the provision of finance, technology transfer and capacity building from developed to developing countries, in line with the Paris Agreement and its Convention. This is non-negotiable and only this would make indicators meaningful
- Unblocking the National Implementation Engine: Finally, parties must break the three-year deadlock and reach a clear decision on National Adaptation Plans.
The roadmaps need engines and the essential parts of the package to reach their goals.
Congratulations delegates, we’ve reached that magical point in the COP where wealthy countries shout “AMBITION!” while simultaneously hiding the car keys, the map, and the entire battery pack to get us there.
Let’s be crystal clear: the COP30 Justice Package is non-negotiable. We need a Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) for a truly just transition and adaptation finance that is at least 120bn per year by 2030, fit for purpose indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation, and clear space for public finance provision.
Roadmaps on transitioning away from fossil fuels (TAFF) and halting deforestation are just one element in a wider justice package. ECO agrees that these roadmaps can be useful and wealthy countries must phase out the fastest. Wealthy countries of the Global North are the ones derailing this “implementation COP” Their continued efforts to block progress on means of implementation behind closed negotiating doors while publicly speaking about ambition and solidarity is, in effect, not different from those attempting to delete any follow up language on transitioning away from fossil fuels.
They are doing olympic-level gymnastics to block the BAM, adaptation finance and public finance obligations, all while lecturing everyone else on “ambition.” Understanding that Just Transition is the pre-condition for any transition away from fossil fuels and the BAM is a home for just transition. , On the other hand some usual suspects are also attempting to delete any follow-up language from the GST1 outcomes. This zero sum game is not helpful and only serves to delay the urgent action we need. Hypocrisy is not a climate solution. If the Global North wants TAFF and deforestation plans to be credible, transparent and actionable, they need to fund justice and equity, and not make excuses or blame others for their inaction.
No More Excuses – Tie the Tax Convention to the Mutirão
Negotiators in Belém keep repeating the same line: there is no public money. Yet the numbers tell a very different story. ECO receives some very good tips from our friends in Nairobi, who just wrapped up the negotiations on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UNFCITC). Yes, another Convention, not yet as fun as the UNFCCC but still very exciting.
Evidence suggests that countries could raise US$2.6 trillion every year by combining a modest 1.7–3.5% tax on the richest 0.5% of households and through the recovery of corporate taxes dodged through profit shifting into tax havens. That is about 2.4% of global GDP. In other words, one well-designed global tax cooperation regime could not only cover a large share of the climate finance spectrum under discussion here in Belém – it could do so and still leave substantial revenues for health, education and social protection at home.
Why isn’t this happening already? Because countries’ tax sovereignty – their ability to use taxes to protect people and the planet – is being systematically undermined. Yet if this revenue were reclaimed through a fair and inclusive UN Tax Convention, developed country Parties could meet their fair share of contributions based on historical responsibilities and still be left with more money for other domestic priorities such as public services and social security.
This is why the UNFCITC currently being negotiated in Nairobi is not a side-show: it is a missing pillar of the climate regime. ECO’s friends from the Global Alliance for Tax Justice have argued, the new Convention is a “historic opportunity to reset global tax rules” in an inclusive way. Imagine: tackling tax avoidance, evasion and illicit financial flows, strengthening transparency and shifting the burden onto those most responsible for the crisis, including fossil fuel multinationals.
Here in Belém, we have a unique chance to connect the dots. After last year’s disastrous outcome on the new climate finance goal – weak on quantity, vague on quality, and miles away from what science and justice demand – Belém cannot just paper over the cracks. Global North countries need to put on the table how they will expand predictable, grant-based public resources and on what terms, with clear rules on additionality, concessionality and human-rights safeguards. Tax-based measures – from wealth and excess profit taxes to coordinated action on multinational tax abuse – must be hard-wired into a robust accountability framework under the UNFCCC, so that finance reported against the NCQG can be traced back to concrete policy choices that make polluters and the ultra-rich pay, instead of shifting the bill onto communities already on the frontlines of the crisis.
Contrary to what the COP30 Presidency has said, the truth is simple: there is enough money. If the final COP30 decisions fail to send a strong political signal in favour of ambitious, just international tax cooperation, it will not be because the resources are missing – but because political will is.
It’s time to stop pretending we’re broke.
Et tu, COP30 President?
ECO almost had a heart attack reading a piece at the Guardian on Wednesday- would it be possible that our beloved COP30 Presidency believes that we “don’t need more money’ ?. That we “don’t need public money from developed countries”, and so we “need to leverage more dollars from each dollar that you have”?
One would expect that the Presidency would not turn a blind eye to a fundamental demand of developing countries to secure public finance at scale to address their needs across so many tracks of the negotiations. Instead, the Presidency seems to have sided with developed countries, by repeating the falsehods perpetuated by developed countries that somehow trillions in private finance can magically be mobilized.
This is a talking point often parotted by rich polluting countries, who put trillions of public dollars toward fossil fuel subsidies, wars and the ultra-rich. Yet when it comes to the climate finance they owe, there simply isn’t enough, and it is the job of developing countries to “attract”, “derisk” or “leverage” private money.
This approach has been tried for decades and failed to deliver anywhere close to the money it promises, nor to the people who are owed. Did the COP30 President forget that there are critical negotiations underway that hinge on the delivery of predictable, accessible, public finance. This should be anchored in a work programme on Article 9.1, a robust adaptation finance target and an increase of means of implementation demanded. The COP30 President can’t ignore that this is not only fundamental to the Global South, it is also a fundamental component of the cornerstone that holds up multilateral cooperation on climate.
National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness During COP
As COP enters its final days here in Brazil, the country paused yesterday to honor the National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness, which is rooted in centuries of resistance, culture, and community care. This moment reminds the world that the fight for land, dignity, and justice did not begin in the climate negotiations.
Zumbi dos Palmares was one of the last rulers of Quilombo do Palmares – a settlement of Afro-Brazilian people who liberated themselves and resisted enslavement by Portuguese colonial rulers in 17th century Brazil.
The present observance grew out of Brazil’s own civil rights movement. In the early 1970s, Black organizers reclaimed the date of Zumbi’s death to honor the resistance of Quilombos and the cultural strength of Afro-Brazilian communities. What began as movement-led commemorations grew over time into a national reflection on identity, pride, and the ongoing struggle for racial justice.
States like Pará and cities such as Belém had already elevated November 20 as a public holiday, honoring the deep cultural ties the region holds to Quilombola heritage. In 2023 that date became a full federal holiday.
People of African descent in territories across Brazil and the Americas have long shaped models of collective governance, land stewardship, and cultural resilience that speak directly to the climate challenges we face today.
A rapidly growing movement is demanding that People of African Descent Communities secure recognition within the UNFCCC climate talks as their own constituency.
Zumbi fought for a future rooted in freedom and dignity. As COP draws to a close, honoring that legacy means building climate solutions anchored in justice, culture, repair, and community strength. This Day of Black Consciousness calls us to widen our understanding of what climate leadership looks like. It invites the world to honor the people and movements who have defended land and life long before the climate crisis had a name. We must ensure that their wisdom shapes the paths we choose from here.
We’re Queer, We’re Here — And We’re Done Being Invisible in Climate Action
ECO is happy to share this part of our publication with the Women and Gender Constituency(WGC) to help amplify their voice. This article reflects the views of the WGC.
For as long as the UN climate negotiations have existed, queer people have shown up. We’ve marched in, volunteered, researched, negotiated, organised events, and supported vulnerable communities on the frontlines of climate breakdown. Yet, LGBTQIA+ people remain absent from the decisions that shape the world’s climate response. Not because we aren’t contributing, but because our contributions have not been seen as political, relevant, or even legitimate.
As a result, queer communities — who experience disproportionate climate vulnerability due to discrimination, criminalisation, and exclusion — have been routinely left out of the agreements that determine funding, adaptation programmes, and protection mechanisms. We are present, but the system continues to treat us as if we are not.
Within the UNFCCC itself, not a single decision, to this day, explicitly names LGBTQIA+ people. The process continues to operate as if we do not exist. It echoes a painful lesson from queer history: silence equals death. From the HIV/AIDS crisis to the present, our resilience has always been shaped by the need to push back against invisibility — and today’s climate crisis demands the same courage.
Fortunately, there are winds of change. This COP has been one of the most visible moments for LGBTQIA+ presence in the UNFCCC process. Queer activists, researchers, youth leaders, Indigenous voices, feminists, and human-rights defenders have been everywhere. In part, this visibility exists because allies refused to let queer voices be erased. Negotiators take pride; the Women & Gender Constituency and YOUNGO shared space; Secretariat staff helped navigate political sensitivities; and countless civil-society partners who fought for our participation long before it became visible. This growing coalition is proof that inclusion is not only possible — it is already happening in practice.
At the national level, Governments are also beginning to take meaningful steps. Several have started recognising LGBTQIA+ people within their domestic climate policies, acknowledging that exclusion worsens vulnerability and weakens resilience. This year, Mexico joined that group with a new NDC that sets an unprecedented example of political inclusion. This is what leadership looks like: recognising that you cannot build a just transition while leaving parts of society behind.
But these advances sit alongside real backlash. For example, in Brazil, the federal government recently approved a law banning neutral, non-binary–inclusive language in public institutions. This restricts non-binary visibility and reflects a broader institutional pushback against gender diversity at a critical moment for climate justice.
This same dynamic showed up inside the COP. Gender discussions were framed almost entirely around women, with little to no space for trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse perspectives. When “gender” is treated as exclusively binary, climate policy becomes cisnormative by design — erasing whole communities whose intersecting vulnerabilities are already acute.
This is why political openness matters. Brazil’s envoys have shown early willingness to engage on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and that approach will be crucial as the country continues the COP30 Presidency. A climate agenda rooted in justice must recognise the full diversity of the communities it seeks to protect. Leaving queer people out is not neutrality — it is harm.
Yes, we are more visible than ever. Yes, our movement has grown, and the energy is thrilling. But let’s be clear: this is not the end of our journey. It is the beginning of a new chapter.
We are queer. We are here. And we’re not going anywhere. Get ready.
WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH ALL PEOPLES SUFFERING FROM GENOCIDE, WARS, OCCUPATION, AND GOVERNMENT VIOLENCE THROUGH CLIMATE CHANGE.
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