COP30 Digest, Vol 1: Everything You Need to Know in Food & Climate News Today
Welcome to #COP30 – watch the opening ceremony here. In our Green Queen COP30 Digest, our editorial team curates the must-reads, the must-bookmarks and the must-knows from around the web to help you ‘skim the overwhelm’.
Headlines You Need To Know
The COP-related news you cannot miss.
BRAZIL PRESIDENT NAMES THREE PILLARS OF ACTION: In his inaugural address at COP30, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva laid out three pillars of action to guide negotiations: fulfilling existing climate commitments, strengthening global governance, and placing people at the centre of decision-making.
SUPER POLLUTERS TO SKIP COP30: The three most polluting countries – China, the US and India – are largely ignoring the UN climate summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are sending other representatives, while US President Donald Trump is sending no high-level delegates. It leaves Europe to “pick up the tab”.
DESPITE TRUMP’S SNUB, 100+ US LEADERS TO ATTEND SUMMIT: While President Trump, a climate sceptic, will stay away from the conference, more than 100 state and local leaders are set to attend to promote their environmental efforts.
BILL GATES PLEDGES $1.4B IN ADAPTATION FINANCE FOR FARMERS: Even though, Bill Gates made headlines for suggesting that emissions reduction shouldn’t be the focus of COP30, he’s staying true to his word about helping farmers. The Gates Foundation will spend at least $1.4B over the next four years to provide growers in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia access to technologies to adapt to extreme weather.
44 COUNTRIES ENDORSE HUNGER & POVERTY DECLARATION: An opening-day event addressed the Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty and People-Centred Action. It has been endorsed by 44 nations, which have committed to include social protection measures within climate plans, support small-scale farmers, and ensure a just transition for those living in forested areas.
ITALY JOINS FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE: Italy has become the latest country to join the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation, which advocates for a whole-of-government approach to food systems transformation across 10 priority interventions, from cutting food loss and waste to realigning public finance.
NORDIC COUNTRIES MAKE MAIDEN FOOD & CLIMATE DECLARATION: The Nordic Ministers for Fisheries, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Food, and Forestry have presented a first-of-its-kind ministerial declaration highlighting the potential of food systems and bioeconomy to address climate change through both mitigation and adaptation.
Key #COP29 Reports
The food and climate reports you need to know about.
- Development banks underline adaptation finance goals: In a new report, multilateral development banks have presented metrics, methodologies and best practices to increase climate finance. It highlights how these institutions provided $137B for adaptation and mitigation in 2024 and mobilised another $134B in private capital – but fiscal constraints and project pipelines remain barriers.
- Nutrition must be integrated into climate policy: The Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition has released its latest assessment on the integration between these two spheres, which remains limited and underfunded. Still, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are leading the way here.
- A tool to track methane action: The Changing Markets Foundation has launched an interactive Methane Action Tracker to keep up with progress (or lack thereof) on corporate and national agricultural methane commitments.
- Countries overlook soil’s carbon sink potential: Analysis by Save Soil has found that 70% of countries don’t include soil as a climate mitigation tool in their nationally determined contributions, suggesting that restoring soil health could sequester enough carbon to achieve 27% of the emissions cuts needed in a 2°C scenario.
Awesome Resources From Media Friends
A curation of our favourite reads from COP29 – excellent guides, explainers and op-eds from around the web.
- What’s at stake?: From addressing the emissions gap to providing justice to the Global South, there’s a lot that COP30 could achieve if it wanted to. Here’s a detailed look from the Guardian’s environment editor, Fiona Harvey.
- Food system focus a must: United Nations Foundation’s Lasse Bruun lays out why food systems (which make up a third of global emissions) must be included in climate talks, with a focus on a shift towards alternative proteins.
- Things to watch: There’s a lot going on at COP30, and it remains to be seen whether leaders can balance protecting forests, feeding people, and funding climate action. When it comes to food, Devex’s Ayenat Mersie lists five things to keep an eye on.
- Big Food’s influence map: The world’s largest food companies always have a big say at COP negotiation, and this year is no different. DeSmog’s Rachel Sherrington and Gil Alessi have developed a map to chart the industry’s routes to influence at COP30.
Lighter Green Fun
Funny stuff, weird stuff, random stuff related to COP you may enjoy.
- An awkward hosting tussle: Australia wants to host COP31 alongside its Pacific island neighbours (some of the worst-affected countries), but so does Turkey, which has refused to withdraw its bid. They have a week to sort it out – made all the more awkward by the fact that COP30 organisers have placed their pavilions side by side.