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As the first week of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) draws to a close, we’ve had valuable and urgent discussions about the systems and interventions and investment structures we can build to more ambitiously tackle the climate crisis.
But like any building, our work will crumble if the foundations aren’t strong—and here in Belém, I think that’s true both in a literal sense and a figurative one.
Quite simply, what’s under our feet matters. The literal foundations of regenerative ecosystems—healthy soils—are the basis for everything we’re working to build here at COP30.
“Soil is one of the biggest potential [ways] to address the issue of climate change…Soil is life,” Rosinah Mbenya, Country Coordinator for PELUM Kenya, told us yesterday at the Action on Food Hub.
Healthy soils not only help nourish people and animals but also sequester carbon from the atmosphere and contribute to a vibrant microbiome that can actually reduce the need for pesticides, making them all-around vital to a variety of climate solutions. And as experts discussed yesterday, the folks who can shepherd those healthy soils are farmers!
“Slowly, intensification has degraded soils, and yet farmers are the ones who can aggrade. They are actually land managers and many of them manage to increase soil health,” says Sieg Snapp, Director of the Global Change Biology Initiative at Michigan State University and Senior Advisor to CGIAR.
As we continued to discuss at a UNFCCC Side Event yesterday afternoon, supporting farmers is key to achieving the climate mitigation and adaptation goals we desperately need to meet. When farmers are making the transition toward regenerative practices, the first year is critical, farmer and ecologist Anand Ethirajalu said. It’s not always easy to see an immediate payoff—but the benefits are undeniable.
“Farmers that are farming conventionally are sometimes scared if they don’t have proof that a transition is viable,” said Thomas Cooper Patriota, Advisor to the Brazil Ministry of Agrarian Development.
Follow me here: This is what leads to the more figurative “foundation”—the truth.
Here at COP30, information integrity has been made part of the Action Agenda for the first time, which I applaud because it’s crucial to recognize that we can only solve the climate crisis when we have reliable data, factual analysis, and proof that solutions like regenerative farming work. Earlier this week, ten countries endorsed a Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, and I hope many more follow suit.
Frankly, it’s disheartening to see misinformation and falsehoods circulating about COP30 and the facts of climate change in general—including from people here on the ground. According to the organization Transparency International, more than half of COP30 national delegation members did not fully disclose other potentially conflicting affiliations they might have.
“Transparency is the cornerstone of trust in global climate negotiations,” Brice Böhmer, climate and environment lead at Transparency International, told The Guardian this week.
When we talk about large-scale investments from the private and philanthropic sectors, we need transparency on where that money goes. New reporting from The Guardian yesterday shows that, without oversight in 2021 and 2022, a significant portion of global climate financing never actually was allocated to the poorest countries that need it most. Without transparency, there’s no accountability.
When we talk about supporting farmers, we need to allow them a platform to be transparent about issues that are front-and-center. Yesterday morning, about 100 peaceful Indigenous protesters blocked the main entrance to COP for about 90 minutes, one of several protests in recent days to draw attention to the harm being done to the Amazon. Without transparency, there’s no climate justice.
Tomorrow is a rest day here at COP30; a time to regroup and recharge before we head into a busy second week. I hope you’ll join me in continuing to reflect on strengthening the foundations—both literally and figuratively—so that the solutions we build can be stable and long-lasting.
News Stories/Reports I’m Reading Today:
- The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2025 — A new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reveals that disasters have caused agricultural losses of about US$3.26 trillion over the past three decades or so—and outlines what solutions could reduce disaster risks going forward.
- Hunger Doesn’t Go on Vacation — In a new campaign launched at COP30, the World Food Programme and partners are working to ensure schoolchildren get access to nourishing meals during academic breaks, too.
- Protecting The Overlooked Carbon Sink — In this report, WWF identifies a hugely overlooked climate solution—grasslands—and proposes a policy agenda to set things right.
- Indigenous People Take the Stage in Brazil — A New York Times report explores the significant presence of Indigenous activists here at COP30 who are working to make their voices heard in international negotiations that are deeply personal.
- Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Outnumber All Cop30 Delegations Except Brazil, Report S ays — According to one figure quoted in The Guardian, one in every 25 participants at the climate summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist.
Powerful Quotes From Recent Discussions:
- “If we do not have our land and healthy territory, we do not have healthy food, and without food we do not survive. Food must become a centerpiece in the global climate discourse, and it is not just about any food, but healthy food that aligns with our ancestry and local traditions and spirituality.” — Juliana Kerexu Mirim Mariano, Coordinator of the Guarani Yvyrupa Commission
- “We must ensure that every dollar spent on adaptation delivers impact—and that means investing in solutions that are backed by rigorous evidence, and not just good intentions.” — Esther Duflo, Nobel Laureate and J-PAL Co-Founder
- “If left unchecked, food waste could double its methane impact by 2050, threatening our climate and food security. But the solution is in our hands. By uniting governments, cities, businesses, and communities globally to halve food waste by 2030 and keep food out of landfills, we can cut methane unlocking bold climate action and propelling humanity toward a future where food shortage and waste are history.” — Dan Ioschpe, COP30 Climate High-Level Champion
Ways to Take Action:
Slash Food Waste
- via The Global FoodBanking Network — Learn about five ways countries are using food donation policy to redirect safe, surplus food to people who need it while cutting down on waste, HERE.
Center Indigenous Knowledge
- via Earth.org — Indigenous people are showing up at this year’s international climate summit in greater numbers than ever before (NYT). Explore six ways farmers can leverage Indigenous knowledge systems to restore soils and feed the world’s growing population while mitigating harms associated with industrialized farming.
Bring The Spirit of COP30 Back Home
- via TuftsNow — Read about how students are bringing the spirit of COP30 to campus, working with a local nonprofit to find solutions for problems facing its urban farm.
Add These to Your Calendar:
1:00PM–2:00PM [11:00AM–12:00PM ET] @ Action on Food Pavilion, Blue Zone: “Passing the Baton: Farmers and Producer Voices Brazil and Australia”
Farmer-led innovation is driving the transition toward just and sustainable food systems on both sides of the globe. Join us as farmers and producer leaders from Australia and Brazil share how they are building regenerative, equitable, and climate-resilient food systems. Speakers include Michael Taylor, a sixth-generation Merino wool and livestock farmer; Nathaniel Pelle, Australian Conservation Foundation; Karina Gonçalves David, a young Brazilian farmer and agroforestry practitioner; and Fabrício Muriana, agroecology campaigner and activist.
We’re excited to share that you can livestream this event HERE.
4:00PM–5:00PM [2:00PM–3:00PM ET] @ Swedish Pavilion, Blue Zone: “Agrifood Systems Summit” and “Best Practices Across the Agrifood Value Chain”
This high-level summit brings together leaders from business, academia, and the public sector to highlight scalable climate solutions across the agrifood value chain, hosted by Business Sweden and the Swedish Non-Negotiating Delegation to COP30. Speakers including Mattias Frumerie, Swedish Ministry of Climate and Enterprise; Ani Dasgupta, World Resources Institute; Dirk Nemitz, AFOLU; Juan Carlos Mendoza, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Rita Lousa, Tetra Pak; Jan Svärd, EasyMining; Henrik Johansson, Spowdi; Ulf Johansson, IKEA; Annika Otterstedt, Sida; Lars Dithmer, Afla Laval; and Rodrigo Godoi, Tetra Pak.
6:30PM–10:00PM [4:30PM–6:00PM ET] @ Praça Gastronômica Porto Futuro: Multi-Stakeholder Dinner: “Voices for Climate and Nature: From the Amazon to Australia”
Alongside partners including the Australian Conservation Foundation and Now Partners, this evening gathering will explore how gastronomy can serve as a bridge between cultures, economies, and ecosystems—transforming food into a powerful tool for climate action, biodiversity protection, and regenerative development across Brazil and beyond. Speakers include Hunter Lovins, NOW Partners Foundation; Josie Alec, Australian Conservation Foundation; Karla Nunes Penna, Cultural Heritage Specialist; Isabelle de Lovinfosse, Tara Climate Foundation; Paulo Dallari, Natura; Gavan McFadzean, Australian Conservation Foundation; Heidi Douglas, Solar Citizens; and Hasmukh Chand, Climate Action Network Australia.
Please CLICK HERE for more details on how to join us in Belém.
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Photo courtesy of Rafael Siqueira, Unsplash
