A letter to leaders in Belém and to the COP30 Presidency from the Special Envoys for Strategic Regions 

We, the Special Envoys for our respective regions, wish to express our strong support for the Brazilian Presidency and all leaders committed to climate action at Belém.   

COP30 presents both a significant opportunity and a profound challenge. To remain aligned with the ambition of the Paris Agreement amidst an increasingly complex geopolitical  environment, we must demonstrate decisive progress. Multilateralism, grounded in international law and guided by the Paris Agreement, remains our most effective framework. A clear signal from COP30 that the international community stands united in its determination to confront climate change will resonate globally. Our shared commitment to fully implement the Paris Agreement is the strongest collective response to a crisis that is disproportionately affecting vulnerable households and countries, devastating lives, livelihoods, and the ecosystems upon which we all depend. 

We should also recognize the progress achieved since the Paris Agreement in 2015. The rapid growth of clean solutions is bending the trajectory of global emissions; where we had been  on track to exceed a devastating temperature increase of more than 4°C, we are now able to  project a level of less than 2.5°C. But we need greater progress. We are not on track to achieve  the goals of the Paris Agreement, and in particular, we are taking insufficient action to keep  1.5°C within reach, or even enough to keep warming well below 2°C. And every tenth of a  degree of additional warming will mean harsh consequences for the world. COP30 must  acknowledge and address the “triple gap” in mitigation, adaptation and finance. Doing so  requires an accelerated effort across the next decade, mobilizing the full range of tools,  resources, and partnerships available to us. This is at the heart of the goal of COP30: to  advance the full implementation of both the Paris Agreement and the UAE Consensus,  informed by the Global Stocktake presented at COP28 in Dubai.  

To accelerate progress, we must maintain a laser focus on concrete, coordinated action. The  Action Agenda is a powerful reservoir of those actions, which must be structured, monitored,  and supported for effective delivery. Addressing the gap should not be understood solely as  revising Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), but rather as translating ambition into  policies that enable each country to overperform on its existing commitments. And the  policies we take, as has been amply demonstrated in our successes to date, can marry not  only climate benefits, but also contribute to growing our economies, promote our national  security, improve the welfare of our citizens, and promote a healthy environment.  

Tripling global renewable energy capacity is a goal within reach. Collectively, we have the  technology and resources: what is required now is scaled investment in all regions. The Baku to Belém roadmap to mobilize USD 1.3 trillion annually for developing countries outlines both  established and innovative solutions to deliver investment at scale at reduced costs of  finance. To operationalize it, clear milestones, mandates, and responsibilities are needed. Ministers of finance should take the lead in defining the priorities. Creating fiscal space, minimizing debt burdens, effectively mobilizing domestic and international finance, and  ensuring enabling policy environments, alongside increased investment in the Global South,  are all essential to making this roadmap credible and implementable. 

Strengthening resilience and adaptation are equally critical. Climate impacts are increasingly  a major barrier to sustainable economic and social development. We must work together to define the indicators that do not impose resource-intensive reporting burdens but instead  help our economies and societies adapt to their local circumstances and become resilient. We must engage the insurance sector, central banks, and private investors to close the  protection gap that threatens long-term developmental gains.  

Countries pursuing the transition away from fossil fuels should define roadmaps, in line with  their national circumstances, while fostering dialogue between producers and buyers of fossil fuels. Roadmaps to end deforestation and restore ecosystems are equally necessary. Taken  together, these pathways can allow countries to implement the long-term strategies  submitted in previous years. 

For the first time, COP30 will also confront the challenge of climate disinformation: a growing  threat that undermines public trust and policy implementation. Combatting this challenge  requires coordinated approaches, shared strategies, and strengthened regulatory  cooperation. We must shine the spotlight on our collective progress, in general, but also cases  in particular where countries have met their climate targets ahead of schedule,  demonstrating a positive bias for action.  

Lastly, we need an evolution of the climate regime that makes implementation more effective and inclusive. Progress depends on joining forces with the local authorities, economic sectors, governments, and civil society. Subnational leaders, from governors, to regional authorities, mayors, and community representatives, must be empowered to reinforce and complement  NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). COP30 is the moment to have them at the table  and to craft a new approach that brings all relevant actors together in a global effort to safeguard our common future.  

It is the moment to remind ourselves of the need for solidarity, and to recognise our agency — we have it within our power to change the future for the better.  

Adnan Z. Amin (Special Envoy for Middle East), Chair, World Energy Council; CEO of COP28; Former Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency 

Arunabha Ghosh (Special Envoy for South Asia), Founder-CEO, Council on Energy,  Environment and Water 

Carlos Lopes (Special Envoy for Africa), Chair, Africa Climate Foundation; Former Executive  Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa 

Jacinda Ardern (Special Envoy for Oceania), Former Prime Minister of New Zealand

Jonathan Pershing (Special Envoy for North America), Former U.S. Special Envoy for Climate  Change  

Laurence Tubiana (Special Envoy for Europe), Dean, Paris Climate School; CEO, European  Climate Foundation; Former French Special Envoy for Climate Change 

Patricia Espinosa (Special Envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean), Former Executive  Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change