COP30
July-August. 2025 | @ green
COP30
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Amazon at the crossroads
� With 17 per cent of the Brazilian Amazon already deforested and 31 per cent degraded, the loss of just five per cent more could trigger irreversible collapse, underscoring the urgent need for action.
� A coalition of organisations has urged the COP30 Presidency to lead a global pact that ensures direct funding for indigenous and local communities.
� As host of COP30, Brazil is uniquely positioned to champion a new era of global cooperation.
ON July 4, 2025, a powerful coalition of civil society organisations, research centres, and global thought leaders formally presented a roadmap to Brazil ' s COP30 Presidency, calling for an unprecedented mobilisation of international finance to protect the Amazon- the world ' s largest tropical forest and one of Earth ' s final climate buffers.
Their message is stark and straightforward: There is no path to a stable climate without the Amazon, a fact that cannot be overstated.
TIPPING POINT
The Amazon spans over 6.5 million square kilometres and stores up to 200 billion tonnes of carbon- roughly 15 to 20 years ' worth of global CO₂ emissions. But it is under assault.
Already, 17 per cent of Brazil ' s Amazon has been deforested, and another 31 per cent degraded.
A loss of just five per cent more could tip the entire biome into irreversible savannisation, triggering the release of vast carbon stores and undermining the Paris Agreement ' s goals, a scenario we cannot afford to let happen.
And while Amazon ' s role in global climate stability is indisputable, the funding to protect it remains dangerously inadequate. Only $ 5.8 billion has been mobilised over the past decade- less than one year of what is needed. The current call is for $ 7 billion annually, a figure that is not just a number, but a lifeline for the Amazon, compelling immediate action.
REDIRECT, REINVEST, RESPECT
Delivered to Brazil ' s National Secretary for Climate Change, Ana Toni, the letter outlines a three-part action framework:
1. Conservation Finance
Strengthen and expand proven funding mechanisms, such as the ARPA( Amazon Protected Areas Programme) and the Podáali Fund. Scale efforts to conserve 331 million hectares and
Ana Toni
Livia Pagotto
restore over 600,000 km ² of degraded lands- while ensuring direct financial access for Indigenous peoples and local communities, the true guardians of the forest, who have been at the forefront of Amazon conservation for centuries.
2. Green and Inclusive Economies
Build deforestation-free supply chains through models like the Soy Moratorium and Pará ' s beef traceability programme. Support initiatives like IFACC, which has already mobilised $ 4.6 billion for sustainable land use in the Amazon, Cerrado, and Chaco.
3. Capacity and Governance
Invest in environmental monitoring, strengthen local authorities, and embed Indigenous governance systems- recognising that resilience must be rooted in both science and tradition.
GLOBAL PACT
The roadmap urges Brazil to leverage its presidency to lead a global pact for the Amazon, calling for:
• A Global Declaration for the Amazon with clear finance and conservation targets.
• The establishment of a Tropical Forests Forever Facility( TFFF) to mobilise up to $ 125 billion by 2030.
• A new era of multilateral, public-private-philanthropic collaboration focused on keeping forests standing and people thriving.
NOW OR NEVER
Leaders from organisations including Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Trust, and Uma Concertação pela Amazônia underscored the urgency. Rachel Biderman of CI emphasised that, " Amazon conservation must be one of COP30 ' s major outcomes … the solution is within Brazil ' s reach ".
Ana Toni, Brazil ' s climate lead and COP30 Executive Director, reinforced that: " Funding for tropical forests is essential to tackling climate change. The COP30 presidency is prioritising innovative finance, including Brazil ' s Tropical Forests Forever mechanism."
BEYOND SYMBOLISM
Hosting COP30 in Belém, at the gateway to the Amazon, is rich in symbolism- but civil society wants more. They want binding commitments, financial transformation, and a seat at the table for Indigenous communities whose stewardship has preserved vast tracts of the forest for centuries.
As Livia Pagotto from Uma Concertação puts it: " A standing forest must generate prosperity and well-being for its people- only then will it continue to benefit all life on Earth."
The Amazon is not just Brazil ' s responsibility- it is a global common good. And COP30 is the world ' s best chance to get it right.- @ green