Progress at COP30 Requires Both Urgency and Optimism

To power jobs, energy transitions and community resilience, we must align climate goals, economic development and the protection of nature. As governments convene in Belém, Brazil for UN Climate Change Conference COP30—a landmark meeting marking 10 years since the Paris Agreement—The Nature Conservancy’s CEO Jennifer Morris shares thoughts on what needs to come out of this high-level policy gathering.  

“The first UN Climate COP to be hosted in the Amazon marks a pivotal opportunity to re-energize progress toward the Paris goals. Ten years later, destabilizing weather systems, accelerating nature loss, declining ocean health and threats to food security are no longer future risks—they are today’s reality. The science is clear: the threats are growing, and time is short. 

“Amidst warning signals, there is progress. Active national governments, multinational businesses and civil society continue to align behind the Paris vision. More than 90% of clean energy is now cheaper than most fossil fuels worldwide. Finance is flowing, with global climate finance rising 26% between 2021 and 2023 and surpassing $2 trillion in 2024. Communities are becoming more resilient out of necessity, and policymakers are increasingly recognizing the need to deliver funding to the ground. 

“This optimism must be coupled with pragmatic urgency and action. The nature funding gap is widening, now projected to be $942 billion per year, and the current pace of progress lags behind the accelerating loss of biodiversity. 

“Without nature, there is no economy. Without equity, there are no resilient solutions. Innovative nature finance platforms like the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) can create powerful capital pools to protect carbon sinks and empower Indigenous communities. Blended finance platforms are mobilizing billions by combining public and private capital to invest in renewable energy projects. COP30 must also demonstrate how the bioeconomy aligns climate goals with equitable economic development—and how biodiversity powers jobs, energy transitions and community prosperity.  

“COP’s greatest strength is that it drives decisions through thoughtful consensus. It provides a platform for every active nation’s voice to be heard. In Belém, the global community must rise together—with eyes wide open to the urgency of the task and minds wide open to the solutions already within reach. Nature won’t wait—and neither can we.”