What to Expect at COP30: A briefing for board directors

COP30 is the 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, taking place in Belém, Brazil from November 10 to 21, 2025. This briefing provides information for board directors on the key themes of COP30, and the key actions to be taken in the boardroom as a result of them.

About the Sustainable Business COP (SB COP)

The Sustainable Business COP (SB COP) is a global initiative led by the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), launching at COP30 but extending to future COPs, with the aim of structuring and strengthening private sector participation in global climate negotiations.  

Recognised by the Brazilian Government and aligned with the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, SB COP seeks to establish a permanent channel for business contributions, influence the global climate agenda, enhance private sector presence in multilateral processes, and drive concrete actions towards decarbonization, low carbon economy, and climate finance.

About COP30

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the largest global United Nations event for discussions and negotiations on climate change. The meeting is held annually, with the presidency rotating among the five UN-recognized regions.

In 2025, Brasil will have the honor of hosting the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), which will take place in Belém, Pará. The chosen city will provide the world with a unique platform to discuss climate solutions, firmly rooted in the heart of the Amazon.

As the host country, Brasil is committed to strengthening multilateralism and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

For more information about COP, visit the UNFCCC website.

Why COP30 must confront the widening climate reality gap

There is a reality gap at the core of the climate crisis: a widening space between what people are already living at the edge of 1.5°C and what leaders are willing to do about it.

That gap shows up everywhere. Communities are adapting to escalating impacts in real time, often with little support, while emissions keep climbing. Fossil fuel exploration expands, and subsidies to carbon-intensive sectors grow, locking in dependence on the very fuels driving disaster. Yet political decision-making remains stuck in the 1990s, a time when the climate threat felt distant and delay seemed politically safe.

The test for COP30 climate change conference in Belém is clear: confront the gap between climate reality and climate response. That means setting out roadmaps to scale up adaptation, accelerate the fossil fuel transition and mobilize capital at speed and scale. In a year of global uncertainty, these roadmaps to resilience are the only way to bring us closer to the reality we need.

UN Climate Change Conference – Belém, November 2025

View information about COP via the United Nations Climate Change including:

• Participation & registration
• Sessions & documents
• Schedules & meetings
• News & media

Visit the UNFCCC website.

COP29: key outcomes for board directors

This briefing highlights the key outcomes from this year’s United Nations Climate meeting, COP29. Termed ‘the finance COP’, this briefing covers how COP outcomes may impact board directors, and the resulting conversations directors should be having in the boardroom. You can also view the recording of our post-COP wrap-up webinar where an expert panel explore the key discussion points from COP29 and how to take these learnings into the boardroom.