COP30 delivered a long-sought victory for a Just Transition, but extremely weak outcomes on adaptation and a fossil fuel phaseout. Cover image by Sami Dellah

While U.S. state governors take the stage at COP30, they continue promoting extractive policies back home. Feleecia Guillen issues a call for bold action to those who claim the mantle of climate leadership: end fossil fuels, invest in a just transition, and protect communities.

COP30, taking place November 10–21 in Belém, Brazil, marks three decades of global climate negotiations. For the first time ever, the United States will be absent from the table. 

This blog post is co-authored with Kate Yeo, USCAN Policy and Communications Coordinator. In a few days, 50,000 delegates from around the world will descend on Belém, Brazil for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30). COP30 marks three decades since the first COP, and 10 years since the Paris Agreement pledged to limit global warming to 1.5°C – a threshold of devastating global warming.  That promise is hanging by a thread. Global emissions are higher , our planet hotter