Next week, the 30th annual United Nations climate change conference (COP30) will begin in Belém, Brazil. 

The summit is a chance for governments, experts, journalists, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous peoples to discuss climate action to enable countries to collectively meet the target of keeping the global rise of temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, thereby avoiding the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

This year’s talks come at a critical moment as the world is seeing an alarming acceleration of the climate crisis.

>> Read our Q&A on COP30 and what to expect from the summit

The conference’s location this year is also significant. Belém is a gateway to the Amazon rainforest, where the environment and the area’s Indigenous inhabitants are facing grave threats. 

In the shadow of COP30, illegal cattle ranching has devastated the rainforest and people’s livelihoods. And Brazil’s federal government has continued stripping the land of its protections.

But there have been some bright spots too. In July, the International Court of Justice ruled that states have an international legal obligation to tackle the climate crisis. And just this week, Brazil´s Chamber of Deputies approved a landmark treaty for Latin American and Caribbean nations that advances the right to a healthy environment.

Marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the international treaty aiming to limit the rise of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, COP30 is an opportunity to deliver much-needed bold action on climate and human rights. 

Read our latest on all that’s at stake.