Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad speaks next to Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Brazil's COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago during the ministerial preparatory meeting (Pre-COP30), ahead of the COP30 Climate Summit, in Brasilia, Brazil October 13, 2025.
As if to remind us, without mercy, of the realities of climate extremes, Hurricane Melissa made landfall and become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica and one of the most intense storms in Atlantic history. The storm caused widespread devastation, including flooding, landslides, and infrastructure collapse, before moving north toward Cuba.
Towns, communities, and landmarks that shape our identities and cultures now face massive recovery costs that will take years to overcome. And those years will be coupled by the ongoing need for development, investment, and essential services. The confirmation of the scientific basis of Melissa’s unprecedented intensity was directly linked to climate change. This is the injustice that must fuel the urgency of COP30. These climate extremes are the new reality. We must prepare to face them everywhere, with urgency, resilience, and innovative action.
That is why COP30 in Belem, Brazil is such a pivotal moment, particularly for the global majority. The outcome must be about implementation, inclusion, and innovation. Building back for Jamaica and other states ravaged by extreme climate events will need genuine partnership, and financing that’s affordable, predictable, and accessible to those who need it most.
Global climate solutions
It was inspiring to hear the President of Brazil Lula da Silva remind the world that COP30 returns to the country where it all began, to the heart of the Amazon. Nature, he said, remains humanity’s most vital cushion against climate collapse. Reversing deforestation, reducing emissions, and phasing out fossil fuels are essential pillars. But COP30 must also deliver a climate justice package that ensures equity, dignity, and opportunity for the global majority. And we know this is possible because the opportunity is real. The stars are aligned: today solar and wind are the cheapest sources of power available, and nearly all new energy installations last year came from renewables. The tools are here. The question is: will we use them?
The week before COP30 in Belém, Brazil offered two powerful moments of inspiration. The Earthshot Prize ceremony crowned its 2025 winners from a dazzling list of 15 finalists, each one working at the cutting edge of social, technological, and policy innovation. Not too far from the EarthShot Prize venue was the COP30 Local Leaders Forum convened by the COP30 Presidency, the City of Rio and Bloomberg Philathropies the forum brought together city leaders from across the globe, those closest to the frontlines of climate impact and action. Both the EarthShot Prize and the Leaders Forum injected the momentum we needed to walk into Belém with hope and a sense of what is possible.
As the world turns its eyes toward COP30 in Belém, Africa stands as a bold and essential architect of global climate solutions. A decade after the Paris Agreement, Africa faces the escalating costs of climate inaction, rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and devastating storms that threaten to erase hard-won development gains. Yet, within these challenges lies Africa’s unmatched opportunities: a young, dynamic population, abundant renewable energy, and nearly a third of the world’s critical minerals for the green transition.
Africa’s message to COP30 was made clear by my colleagues Susan Onyango, Rebekah Shirley and John Kalisa at the World Resources Institute in their November 5th Insights piece on “What Africa Should Expect At COP30”: Climate action must be just, inclusive, and transformative. The continent is calling for scaled and equitable climate finance, that reaches frontline communities, supports adaptation, and unlocks private investment through transparent country-led platforms.
Resilient food systems
Africa is also redefining ambition. Its updated NDCs are pledges to reduce emissions in some cases but more importantly they are blueprints for inclusive growth, energy access, and job creation. With over 600 million people still lacking electricity, the continent’s clean energy transition must be accelerated through concessional finance, technology transfer, and regional cooperation. Africa’s cities, industries, and entrepreneurs are ready to lead—what’s needed now is global partnership.
Nature, too, is central to Africa’s vision. From forest restoration to resilient food systems, the continent is championing solutions that are grounded in science and Indigenous knowledge. As COP30 unfolds in the Amazon, Africa will stand in solidarity with other forest nations, demanding that investments in nature be recognised as investments in people.
Above all, Africa is calling for genuine transformative partnerships. Partnerships that are rooted in trust, aligned with national priorities, and anchored in African-led institutions. As the message that echoed from the Africa Climate Summit in Addis, continues to reverberate: Africa is not waiting to be rescued. It is ready to lead. The continent is proving that climate ambition and development are not competing priorities but rather one and the same. At COP30, the world must meet Africa’s leadership with the solidarity, financing, and action it deserves. Because as we continue to say, the world will not meet her climate goals without unlocking Africa’s Green Climate Resilient Opportunities.
Ms Mathai is the MD for Africa & Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute and Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation
