From 10 to 21 November 2025, Belém in northern Brazil hosts COP30, the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the summit shifts from negotiation to delivery. At the heart of this shift, ocean climate solutions emerge as a practical way to close the gap to 1.5 °C while building resilience for coastal communities.
From Paris to Belém, time for implementation
The first Global Stocktake in 2023 showed the gap between pledges and action, with the world still heading above 2.5 °C. In Belém, governments must file new Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, aligned with 1.5 °C and backed by measurable outcomes. The Brazilian presidency elevates an Action Agenda that brings states, cities, companies and civil society into one track. Hosting COP30 where the Amazon meets the Atlantic Ocean signals a nature centred approach, linking forests and seas. The aim is to restore trust in cooperation, especially between developed and developing countries, and to turn commitments into projects that can be monitored and financed.
The ocean, from overlooked victim to solution set
Science indicates that ocean based pathways, from conserving blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrasses to scaling offshore renewables and decarbonising shipping, could deliver up to 35 percent of needed emission cuts by 2050. In June 2025, Brazil and France launched the Blue NDC Challenge to help countries integrate ocean climate actions into their NDCs. Brazil included the ocean in its own NDC for the first time, a political signal that the sea is central for mitigation, adaptation and resilience. Negotiators will also advance the Global Goal on Adaptation, with indicators that reflect ecosystem health, including coastal zones, so that adaptation plans become more transparent and accountable for vulnerable states and islands.
Financing ocean climate action
Only about 1 percent of global climate finance currently targets the ocean. After COP29, countries agreed a New Collective Quantified Goal that aims for 1.3 trillion US dollars per year by 2035, including 300 billion from developed countries. The key question is allocation. The Baku to Belém Roadmap, prepared by the hosts of COP29 and COP30, points to priority investments in marine protected areas, blue carbon and coastal resilience. The roadmap urges public and private financiers to channel capital toward practical projects that serve both climate and biodiversity. Momentum also comes from the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice in 2025, which generated 2,600 voluntary commitments and 8.7 billion euros in pledges. The task in Belém is to convert those pledges into pipelines of projects, from habitat restoration to low carbon ports and sustainable fisheries.
Aligning climate and biodiversity frameworks
Delivering at scale requires better links between the Paris Agreement and the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity, or CBD. In 2024, CBD COP16 endorsed stronger collaboration with the UNFCCC. A next step at Belém would be to create a joint working group under the climate convention, improving coherence in planning, reporting and finance. The Ocean and Climate Platform, or POC, argues in its Fil Bleu report for aligning NDCs with national biodiversity strategies and for shared monitoring frameworks. Placing the ocean at the centre of this alignment can multiply benefits for emissions, nature and communities.
Society, science and delivery on a shared agenda
The Brazilian presidency wants a Global Mutirão, a collective effort that turns scattered initiatives into a coordinated push before the second Global Stocktake in 2028. Under COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago, the Action Agenda stands alongside formal negotiations, with medium term targets to bend emissions while boosting resilience. Within this approach, the POC coordinates a Blue Package to accelerate ocean climate solutions by 2028. It builds on the Ocean Breakthroughs, five positive tipping points to reach by 2030 across marine conservation, maritime transport, coastal tourism, renewable marine energy and aquatic food. A public platform will track progress and highlight where more action is needed.
Conclusion
A decade after Paris, Belém can mark the start of delivery. Ocean climate solutions, from blue carbon to clean shipping and resilient coasts, offer concrete ways to cut emissions and protect communities. The next move is to align plans, unlock finance and measure results with clarity. Protecting the ocean means protecting our future.
