GLAND, Switzerland (30 October 2025): Ten years after the landmark Paris climate agreement was approved at COP21, WWF is calling on countries to unite at COP30 to prevent the climate and nature crisis from spiraling out of control and respond to the needs of communities suffering from its impacts. COP30 presents a vital chance to hold the line on the 1.5°C global temperature limit and restore momentum behind global climate action. 

At the COP30 climate summit governments, businesses, cities and other actors need to focus on closing three climate action gaps – the mitigation gap, the adaptation gap, and the finance gap. Taking place in the heart of the Amazon, COP30 is a unique opportunity to deliver a ‘nature package’ that recognizes nature as a climate ally and ensures that protecting nature and cutting emissions happen in parallel.   

Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International, said: “Climate change is moving faster than we are, leaving no part of the world untouched. Despite some progress, global efforts to cut emissions are far short of what is needed to avoid dangerous tipping points with worsening risks for people and nature. 

“The decisions taken in Belém and the choices made over the next five years will shape the planet for generations to come. Surrounded by the Amazon rainforest, COP30 presents the opportunity for governments and businesses to restore hope and rise to the scale of the challenge to deliver a safer, fairer future.” 

The ten years since 2015 have been the ten warmest years on record, with 2024 being the hottest yet. Around the world, blistering heat waves, raging wildfires and catastrophic storms and floods have been devastating lives, economies, and ecosystems. The world is crossing its first climate tipping point, with the widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs, and is dangerously close to others. This includes the dieback of the Amazon rainforest. 

Progress on meeting the Paris Agreement has been too slow, and there are major gaps between promises and delivery. Decisions taken at COP30 in Belém could help chart a path to keeping the long-term 1.5°C limit and put nature at the heart of climate action for the benefit of planet and people. 

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF Global Climate and Energy Lead, and COP20 President, said: “We cannot afford another cycle of promises without delivery. COP30 must send a clear, unambiguous signal that the era of delay is over. This is the moment to turn words into action by setting a timeline for phasing out fossil fuels, scaling up renewables, and ensuring the most vulnerable are supported.  

“Solutions exist in every economic sector; what is missing is the will to implement them. If we seize this opportunity, we can close the gaps that threaten our future and rebuild trust in global climate action.” 

Closing climate action gaps 

To close the mitigation gap, countries must deliver ambitious climate plans that will sharply cut global greenhouse gas emissions. Countries should also agree on a timetable for the transition away from fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – including specified milestones and commit to the expansion of renewable energy.  

To close the adaptation gap, countries must adopt the indicators needed under the Global Goal on Adaptation which will serve as the basis for planning, financing, reporting, implementing, and assessing adaptation action. They must also agree on a new commitment to at least triple adaptation finance.  

To close the finance gap, countries must commit to significantly scale up finance for climate action. They need to meet the new climate finance goal of at least $300 billion annually by 2035 for developing countries, with a further goal of scaling up to $1.3 trillion. This should take the form of an action plan with clear responsibilities and yearly targets for increasing climate finance between now and 2035. Countries must also boost their contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund.  

Nature package 

Nature has absorbed about half of all human-caused CO2 emissions, but ecosystems are under severe threat from climate change and destruction.  

WWF urges governments to provide the next steps on their existing commitment from COP28 to conserve, protect, and restore nature and ecosystems, including through halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. WWF proposes that countries create a work programme on climate and nature to ensure the delivery of these commitments and alignment with the UN Global Biodiversity Framework.  

A breakthrough on nature and climate finance could be on the cards if the Brazilian government is able to successfully launch the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF). The TFFF aims to provide a long-term source of finance to countries that keep their tropical forests standing with pathways for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to access and direct at least 20% of payments. WWF urges countries and financial institutions to mobilize capital at scale to follow initial investments by Brazil and Indonesia. 

Mauricio Voivodic, Executive Director of WWF-Brazil, said: “COP30 must be remembered as the COP of implementation - the one that turned commitments into action, consolidated new forms of cooperation, and advanced innovative financing mechanisms such as the Tropical Forest Forever Facility.  

“Addressing the climate crisis is not the task of governments alone, but a collective effort that depends on the mobilization of all sectors to turn commitments into tangible results. In this sense, the COP Presidency has played an essential role by creating mechanisms that strengthen civil society participation and encourage collaboration among different actors — fostering a broad collective movement for climate action. This spirit of collaboration is already beginning to take shape in Brazil”. 

WWF fully supports the efforts of the Brazilian COP30 Presidency to restructure the Action Agenda, the pillar of climate convention that mobilises voluntary action from civil society, businesses, investors, cities, states, and countries. A new 5-year Action Agenda plan, to be agreed at COP30, can align delivery on the Paris Agreement and help ensure the economy and whole of society can move climate action forwards.  

ENDS 

Notes to Editors: 

You can find full details of the outcomes needed in Belém in WWF’s COP30 Expectations Paper, which is available here 
 
Throughout COP30, WWF will provide a daily ‘What’s Hot’ newsletter with updates on the negotiations, news, announcements and press conferences. If you would like to receive it, please sign up here. 
 

CONTACT 

WWF International climate comms team: cop30-comms@wwfint.org  
Ruth Cobbe: rcobbe@wwfint.org