COP30 Glossary: Key Terms for the Brazil UN Climate Summit – Earth.Org

Report on the 30th UN Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil

The 30th UN Conference of the Parties (COP30) is convening in Belém, Brazil, gathering approximately 60,000 delegates to advance the global climate agenda. This report outlines the key frameworks and negotiation topics of the conference, with a significant emphasis on their alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Foundational Frameworks for Global Climate Action and Sustainable Development

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The UNFCCC, established in 1992, serves as the multilateral treaty guiding international efforts to combat climate change. Its primary objective is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations, thereby creating a framework that directly supports the achievement of several SDGs.

• SDG 13 (Climate Action): The Convention’s core mission is to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): It seeks to achieve stabilization within a timeframe that ensures food production is not threatened and allows economic development to proceed sustainably.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): A fundamental principle is “common but differentiated responsibility,” acknowledging that industrialized nations have a greater historical responsibility and capacity to lead climate efforts and provide financial and technological support to developing countries.

The Conference of the Parties (COP)

The annual COP is the primary decision-making body of the UNFCCC. It convenes all signatory parties to review progress and negotiate multilateral responses to climate change. The COP process embodies SDG 17 by bringing together governments, the private sector, and civil society to foster global partnerships for sustainable development.

The Paris Agreement: A Decadal Review in the Context of the 2030 Agenda

COP30 marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, a landmark accord aimed at limiting global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. This target is critical for the success of the entire SDG framework, as climate change threatens progress across all 17 goals.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as National SDG Roadmaps

NDCs are the primary instruments through which countries communicate their climate action plans under the Paris Agreement. These plans are integral to national strategies for achieving the SDGs.

1. Mandate: Each signatory must submit and update its NDC every five years, demonstrating progressively higher ambition.
2. SDG Integration: NDCs detail mitigation and adaptation goals that directly contribute to SDG 13, while also advancing SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
3. Current Status: A recent UN Synthesis Report indicates that current NDCs are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target. The submitted plans, representing about one-third of global emissions, are projected to achieve a 17% emissions reduction by 2035, far short of the 43% reduction required by 2030. This highlights an urgent need to enhance ambition to keep SDG 13 within reach.

Key Negotiation Topics at COP30 and their SDG Implications

Climate Finance: The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)

A central focus of COP30 is the finalization of the NCQG, a new climate finance target to support developing countries post-2025. This goal is a cornerstone of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and essential for enabling climate action in the Global South.

• Background: The NCQG will replace the previous $100 billion annual target. An initial structure agreed upon at COP29 proposed $300 billion per year by 2035.
• The Finance Gap: Developing nations argue this figure is insufficient, citing estimates that require at least $1.3 trillion annually. The “Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3T” was established to identify pathways to scale up finance, directly addressing SDG 10 by seeking to rectify inequalities in climate resilience and response capacity.

Carbon Markets: Operationalizing Article 6

Negotiations will continue on the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which establishes a framework for a global carbon market. This mechanism is designed to mobilize private sector finance for climate mitigation, contributing to multiple SDGs.

• Objective: To allow countries and companies to trade carbon credits generated from emissions reduction projects, such as reforestation (SDG 15: Life on Land) or renewable energy deployment (SDG 7).
• Challenge: While a centralized trading mechanism was adopted at COP29, clear methodologies for implementation are still required to ensure environmental integrity and prevent double counting. The COP30 Presidency is promoting a coalition to align international standards, reinforcing SDG 17.

Adaptation: Finalizing the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)

A critical task for negotiators is to finalize indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which aims to enhance global resilience to climate impacts. The GGA is a direct implementation of SDG 13.1 (Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards).

• Challenge: A decade after the Paris Agreement, there is no agreed-upon method to measure progress on adaptation, hindering the mobilization of targeted finance.
• Finance Disparity: Adaptation finance currently represents less than 10% of global climate investments. The UN Environment Programme estimates that developing countries require $310-$365 billion annually for adaptation by 2035. This gap undermines efforts to achieve SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), as vulnerable populations bear the brunt of climate impacts.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The entire article is centered on the UN Conference of the Parties (COP30) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), whose primary objective is to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.” This directly aligns with SDG 13’s goal to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The article discusses key climate policies and agreements like the Paris Agreement, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and goals to limit global warming.
2. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article highlights the multilateral nature of climate negotiations. It describes the COP as a gathering of “roughly 60,000 delegates from nearly all countries in the world” and mentions that it “brings together not only the government but also the private sector and thousands of representatives from the civil society.” This collaborative effort, including financial commitments from developed to developing nations (the NCQG) and the formation of coalitions on carbon markets, directly reflects the principles of SDG 17, which focuses on strengthening global partnerships for sustainable development.
3. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
   • The article explicitly mentions that a primary objective of the UNFCCC is to achieve climate stability within a timeframe that ensures “food production is not threatened.” This connects the issue of climate change directly to global food security, which is the core focus of SDG 2.
4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The UNFCCC’s objective, as quoted in the article, is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in a way that enables “economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.” This links climate action with the principles of sustainable economic growth, a key component of SDG 8.
5. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • The article discusses Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which involves a centralized carbon trading mechanism. It provides an example of how countries can buy credits for “protecting rainforests.” This directly relates to SDG 15, which aims to protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, including forests.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 13 (Climate Action):
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. This is directly addressed through the discussion of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are described as “national climate plans that each signatory to the agreement must submit to the UNFCCC.”
   • Target 13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the UNFCCC to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries. The article explicitly references this, noting the “$100 target originally proposed at COP15… not met until 2022,” and discusses its replacement, the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG).
   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. This is covered in the section on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which aims to “guide and measure the progress and effectiveness of climate adaptation at the global level” and the push by LDCs to “boost adaptation finance.”
2. Under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):
   • Target 17.3: Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources. The article details the establishment of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) of “$300 billion per year by 2035” and the “Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3T” to find additional resources, which directly aligns with this target.
   • Target 17.7: Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms. The article mentions that the UNFCCC “pushes for the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries for action on climate change.”
   • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships. The description of COPs bringing together “government… the private sector and thousands of representatives from the civil society” is a clear example of this target in action.
3. Under SDG 2 (Zero Hunger):
   • Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change… The article connects to this target through the UNFCCC’s objective “to ensure that food production is not threatened” by climate change.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For SDG 13 (Climate Action):
   • Global Temperature Increase: The article uses the Paris Agreement’s goal of “limiting global warming to below 1.5C or ‘well below 2C'” as a key metric. It indicates a lack of progress by stating the 1.5C goal is “virtually dead” and that current projections are for “2.5-2.9C” of warming.
   • Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions: The article provides specific quantitative indicators for emission reductions. It states that a “43% reduction by 2030 compared to 2019 levels” is needed, while current NDCs only “put the world on track to slash emissions by 17% below 2019 levels by 2035.”
   • Number of Countries Submitting NDCs (Indicator 13.2.1): The article provides a direct measure of this indicator, stating, “Only 79 countries, representing 64% of global emissions, have so far submitted new NDCs.”
   • Climate Finance Mobilization (Indicator 13.a.1): The article uses specific monetary values as indicators, such as the original “$100 billion” target, the new NCQG of “$300 billion per year by 2035,” and the aspirational goal of “$1.3 trillion” annually. It also mentions the need for adaptation finance is “between $310 billion and $365 billion per year by 2035.”
2. For SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):
   • Financial Flows to Developing Countries (Indicator 17.3.1): The same financial figures mentioned for SDG 13 (the NCQG of $300 billion and the $1.3 trillion roadmap) serve as direct indicators for measuring financial resource mobilization for developing countries.
   • Number of Multi-stakeholder Partnerships: While not a formal UN indicator, the article implies this can be measured. It mentions a new “coalition aimed at improving collaboration on carbon market, bringing together countries” including the “European Union, China, the UK, Canada, Chile,” and others, which serves as a concrete example of a partnership to be tracked.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: earth.org