COP30: companies at the heart of the action COP

1. The framework: why this COP30 is different

COP30, held in Belém (State of Pará, Brazil), marks an important milestone in the global climate calendar. After COP28 and COP29 focused on commitments, this edition wants to be the one of concrete action.

Brazil, as the host country, has a clear ambition: to make this conference no longer a mere negotiating forum, but rather a forum for discussion. « Implementation COP ».

COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago said he wanted « harmonize the efforts of business, civil society and all levels of government », claiming to be « fully convinced that we must increasingly involve those who are the real actors in the implementation of the decisions taken ».

2. A new chapter in climate cooperation

At the heart of this commitment to action, the new Agenda for Action was erected as one of the four pillars of COP30.

Its objective: to bring together and expand concrete initiatives by businesses, communities and civil society to accelerate the transition.

This Agenda is based on six main themes: Global Stocktake (Global Stocktake) realized in 2023:

• energy, industrial and transport transition;
• forests, oceans and biodiversity;
• agriculture and food systems;
• cities, infrastructure and water resources;
• human and social development;
• Financing, technology and capacity-building.

COP30's high-level climate champion Dan Ioschpe said during the conference, « accurate mapping of these initiatives, as well as monitoring indicators of commitments and plans to accelerate the deployment of these large-scale solutions by 2028 » will be presented.

According to him, the idea is that these initiatives « not only during the two weeks of the COP but that they live 365 days a year ».

It also considers that « we are at the dawn of a new decisive chapter in international climate cooperation ».

When asked by the Association of Environmental Journalists (AEJ), Dan Ioschpe adds: « Now implementation is essential. How to put it at the heart of COPs in the years to come? The articulation with the Agenda for Action is indeed one of the preferred avenues. »

3. Enterprises as actors in implementation

This dynamic raises a major question: how can the Agenda for Action be integrated into the formal process of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?

André Corrêa do Lago proposes that this Agenda be included in a kind of « global contribution » (Global NDC), in order to fill the action gap and better link non-state actors' initiatives to the official COP framework.

For Laurence Tubiana, President and CEO of the European Climate Foundation, it is now a matter of moving from intentions to implementation:

« This is the time for these coalitions and the states to come together around the table to put action into practice and not just declarations of intent. »

She also questions:

« How can these elements be introduced to fill the action gap and achieve our objectives? »

These exchanges illustrate the growing desire to better articulate the commitments of governments, business and civil society around a common framework, so that implementation becomes the real engine of international climate cooperation.

On the private sector side, the position of enterprises could expand.

Elizabeth Laville, founder of Utopies, believes that« We could even go further. » asking « to companies an update of their commitments every five years, as requested by the states ».

She stressed that « We may have put too much energy on governments: it is time to open up to other actors ».

4. What to follow this week

As the discussions open in Belém, several points should be monitored:

• the detailed presentation of the Agenda for Action and its connection with the UNFCCC official framework;
• level of private sector involvement and public-private cooperation proposals;
• the concrete initiatives taken by enterprises, communities and NGOs in the six transition axes identified.

5. In summary

COP30 promises to be a pivotal moment: the moment when companies are no longer only invited to engage, but to participate fully in the implementation of climate solutions.

For the time being, these discussions lay the foundations for a new balance between governments and private actors.

It will be necessary to observe in the coming days how this ambition will take concrete shape.

See you next week for a summary of progress, announcements and implications for companies.

Novelhic: « At COP30, Brazil wants to put companies at the heart of the "COP of implementation" »published on November 10, 2025

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