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Every U.N. Climate Change Conference in recent years has run into overtime, as negotiators and leaders go past the official end—sometimes by hours, sometimes by a day or two—working to hammer out agreements.
We have yet to see how things shake out here at COP30, of course, but it seems that the Brazilian conference presidency is pushing countries to act quickly, with a two-package approach aimed at trying to avoid major last-minute political snags.
In a draft released by the COP30 Presidency yesterday morning (PDF link), we got a first glimpse into what outcomes we might expect to see from negotiations here in Belém. The draft is incomplete and contains several proposals and rough ideas that might not make it into a final deal, but there are several aspects that I think are worth pointing out at this early stage.
First, we see the return of language around the shift away from fossil fuels. At COP28 a few years ago, countries agreed to signal their openness to phasing out fossil fuels, but we have yet to see major implementation plans there, and there’s still plenty of resistance from oil-dependent nations. So the fact that a fossil fuel phase-out actually made it to the draft text and was not dead-on-arrival at COP30 like it was last year at COP29 is, to quote The Guardian journalist Fiona Harvey, “itself a minor miracle.” Of course, the draft text is far from final, but the fact that more than 80 countries have already joined a call for a roadmap toward phasing out fossil fuels does give me some hope.
Second, the draft language also suggests countries might agree to annual reviews of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a.k.a. country-level action plans to meet the terms of the Paris Agreement. Currently, these action plans are only submitted and reviewed every 4–5 years, so an annual timeline might be effective at keeping national leaders accountable.
However, there’s no mention of food and agriculture just yet.
Given how foundational we know food systems are to climate solutions, I’m sad to see that we haven’t reached a point where negotiators use food as a day-one tool—but at the same time, since today and tomorrow are both themed around Agriculture, Food Systems and Food Security, Fisheries, and Family Farming, I’m hoping the food movement will be able to deliver a powerful reminder.
At UNFCCC Side Events yesterday hosted by Food Tank and our global partners, we discussed how resilient food systems are integral to a circular bioeconomy that can sustain equitable finance and long-term adaptation solutions on a global scale. This is something that some countries, like Cambodia, already recognize in their NDCs and negotiation strategies. Let’s continue to find ways to support and uplift farmers and value chains—like those around school meals—that are doing things right.
“We can talk about resilient food, climate-resistant food, but if farmers can’t sell their product, we’re not going to create the change we want,” Roy Steiner of The Rockefeller Foundation said during a discussion at the Peru-Resilience Hub. “School meals are not just feeding kids, which is important: It’s also a climate solution.”
It’s also worth pointing out that the absence of food systems in this draft text might not be entirely coincidental. Ahead of COP30, we were fully expecting agriculture, food systems, and climate justice to be priorities—but lobbyists have shown up in Belém in full force and have been particularly influential in pushing back.
If anything, this underscores how vital it is for the global food movement to deliver a strong counter-narrative: We need to highlight actionable and inspiring pathways for farmers, ranchers, producers, workers, principled business leaders, civil society advocates, scientists, and citizen eaters to all work together to build a more equitable, resilient, nourishing, climate-smart future.
That’s why we’re here at COP30. Our presence has an impact. Our voices have an impact.
“You can’t be what you can’t see,” Joshua Gilbert, an Indigenous Consultant, Agriculturist & Innovator, told me onstage yesterday. “If you can’t see an Indigenous farmer proactively promoted…then you’re not likely to step in as an agricultural farmer.”
I hope—for the health of people and the planet—that COP negotiators step up and make food and agriculture systems central to the final deals made here in Belém over the next few days. But the idea that, by elevating authentic farmers’ voices on the world stage, we can inspire people to make a meaningful difference in their communities—that fills me with hope, too.
News Stories/Reports I’m Reading Today:
- At COP30, I’ll Speak for the Bees — Bees are “a way to shine a light on the interconnecting challenges in food production and nature, deforestation, monoculture, and agrochemicals,” writes Peruvian engineer, beekeeper and activist Ysabel A. Calderón Carlos at Common Dreams.
- Why Food and Agriculture Should Be at the Centre of COP30 Agenda — For IPS, Zimbabwe journalist Busani Bafana reports on how prioritizing food as part of global climate action can help improve material conditions for farmers on the ground.
- Agrifood Systems in National Adaptation Plans: An Analysis — Looking at national adaptation plans from 64 developing countries, this joint UN Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations Development Programme report takes stock of the role of food in climate resilience.
- Building Climate Resilient School Feeding Programs — New research from Stanford University and The Rockefeller Foundation finds that shifting to regenerative school meal programs could feed around 8 million more children for the same cost.
- How Cambodia’s NDC 3.0 Puts Food Systems at the Heart of Climate Action — “By embedding food systems so centrally into our NDC 3.0, we want to model how developing countries can align climate, nutrition, health, agriculture, and social inclusion,” H.E. Dr. Ouk Rabun, a high-level agriculture and rural development leader of the Royal Government of Cambodia, writes for us at Food Tank.
Powerful Quotes From Recent Discussions:
- “Countries know agrifood systems are the first line of defense against climate extremes, but they’re still not getting the support they need. The groundwork is there; now we need to close the finance and capacity gaps to turn those plans into real protection for food security and livelihoods.” — Kaveh Zahedi, Director of FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment
- “The transition is no longer about setting targets. It is about executing them. And execution requires realism, planning, and the ability to adjust when circumstances change.” — Sophie Hermans, Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister
- “One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes. To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity…Strong climate actions and policies—both are an investment in a more just and stable world.” — Pope Leo XIV in a message to the bishops and cardinals of the Global South participating in COP30 in Brazil
Ways to Take Action:
Learn From Farmers
- via World Farmers’ Organization — Check out a recap of key outcomes from the COP30 Farmers’ Summit.
Fill Up Your Toolbelt With Knowledge
- via U.N. Development Programme — Explore 30 facts about the climate crisis highlighting the urgency of action.
Call Out Countries That Are Falling Short
- via Climate Action Network International — Curious about which countries have room for improvement in terms of progress in climate negotiations and climate action? Every day, Climate Action Network International is bestowing a Fossil of the Day Award to countries who are “doing the most to achieve the least” and “doing their best to be the worst.”
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Photo courtesy of Maiko Valentino Baez Brito
