Quick Summary of The Good News From COP30

Whilst COP30 failed on the big ticket stuff - sabotaged yet again by petrostates and their armies of lobbyists - there was plenty to celebrate elsewhere at the global jamboree in Brazil. Here's a quick summary.

Credit: Raimundo Pacco | COP30

Brazil’s new Tropical Forest Forever Fund launched with $6.6 billion raised. The fund is designed to pay countries for keeping their tropical forests intact, aiming to make standing forests more valuable than cleared land.

Countries renewed and expanded rainforest finance for the Congo Basin, pledging more than $2.5 billion over five years. It's home to 70 percent of Africa’s tropical forests and the basin’s forest, marine, and freshwater ecosystems are some of the Earth’s most important - encompassing a rich mosaic of rivers, dense forests, savannas, and wetlands, including the world’s biggest tropical peatlands. These ecosystems provide services critical to the well-being of people everywhere.

Forest countries, led by Colombia, committed to maintaining Amazon territories free from oil and mining activity. Colombia declared its entire Amazon biome, 42 percent of its territory, a reserve for ‘renewable natural resources’ and blocked all new large-scale extraction.

A global pledge of $1.8 billion was made to secure land rights for Indigenous peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant groups.

Brazil announced 10 new Indigenous territories and a five-year plan to secure 228,000 square miles (590,000 sq. km) of land.

Colombia, Italy and Vietnam joined the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation, expanding the bloc committed to national food system reforms, such that they deliver better outcomes across 5 key areas: Food nutrition and security; adaptation and resilience; equity and livelihoods; nature and biodiversity; and climate mitigation.

UNEP and partners launched a food waste initiative aiming to halve global food waste by 2030 and cut methane emissions by up to 7 percent. Meanwhile, another 11 countries issued new commitments to drastically reduce fossil methane emissions.

The Gates Foundation committed $1.4 billion for smallholder climate adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. “Smallholder farmers are feeding their communities under the toughest conditions imaginable," said Bill Gates. "We’re supporting their ingenuity with the tools and resources to help them thrive - because investing in their resilience is one of the smartest, most impactful things we can do for people and the planet.”

The Rockefeller Foundation committed $5.4 million to strengthen climate-resilient food systems and school meals.

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition launched an accelerator with an initial $25m for methane reductions across seven developing countries.

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced $100 million for methane detection and reduction, including satellite monitoring.

COP30 formally recognised Indigenous land rights and traditional knowledge in its core mutirão decision, strengthening Indigenous standing in climate governance.

And Brazil capped the conference with a major ocean pledge: a commitment to bring 100 percent of its 2.2 million square miles (5.7 million sq. km) of national waters under sustainable management by 2030. If delivered, it would be the largest ocean governance upgrade ever undertaken by a coastal nation.