When world leaders arrive in Belém for COP30, they won’t just be entering a conference center; they’ll be stepping into the world’s largest tropical forest complex and one of Earth’s most consequential climate frontiers. COP30, the 30th annual “Conference of Parties” UN Climate Change Conference, is where countries, businesses, and civil society will negotiate and commit to actions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, financing climate solutions, and protecting ecosystems to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

“The decision to host COP30 in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, is more than symbolic—it’s a stress test for Brazil’s climate credibility and for the global community’s ability to move from rhetoric to results,” explains Felipe Borschiver, Latin America Director of Partnerships for Forests. Brazil, home to over 60% of the Amazon biome, has a unique responsibility and opportunity to prove that ambitious targets can translate into measurable action on forests, finance, and inclusion.

“As a Brazilian and a climate finance specialist, I see COP30 as a moment of both promise and pressure,” he adds.

The Amazon’s role in stabilising the planet’s climate is well-established, but recent trends underscore the urgency of action. In the past few years, research has shown that some parts of the Amazon are now emitting more CO₂ than they absorb, driven by deforestation, fire, and a lengthening dry season, which is threatening regional rainfall systems and global climate stability. The forest stores vast amounts of carbon and rainfall that sustains agriculture far beyond Brazil’s borders; lose that function, and we accelerate a feedback loop of drought, heat, and fire.

Finance that Works Where Forests Stand

Belém offers a chance to shift the conversation on climate finance from pledges to projects. Over the last decade, Palladium-managed initiatives have demonstrated viable models. Partnerships for Forests (P4F) has catalysed over £1 billion in investment into forests and sustainable land use, bringing millions of hectares under improved management and proving that public funds can leverage private capital at scale. These partnerships—spanning sustainable supply chains, restoration, and produce-protect models—show that when incentives align, finance flows and impact follows.

UK PACT, also managed by Palladium, adds another dimension: institutional capacity and policy execution. Through grants and skill-shares across multiple countries, the programme strengthens monitoring systems, links climate action with green recovery, and unlocks sectoral reforms—precisely the scaffolding needed to absorb and deploy capital efficiently.

“Programs like Partnerships for Forests and UK PACT have demonstrated that it’s possible to mobilise public and private capital for nature-based solutions, provided there is regulatory clarity, institutional coordination, and technical capacity on the ground,” adds Borschiver. “The challenge now is to move from pilot projects to scalable mechanisms that can serve thousands of producers, not just a few dozen.”

That is what Belém must catalyse.

COP30 will be the first held in the Amazon, heightening expectations that Indigenous peoples and traditional communities will not only be visible but influential. Borschiver highlights that many projects, including P4F, have long emphasised that forest outcomes improve when Indigenous land rights and knowledge guide investment—these communities steward a disproportionate share of intact forests and biodiversity, yet are often excluded from finance and decision-making.

“Inclusion must translate into influence,” he says. “Otherwise, we risk repeating the pattern of symbolic representation without structural impact.” Recent efforts to strengthen Indigenous-led enterprises and value chains point to a path where finance reaches the frontline and benefits are co-designed with communities.

From Negotiation to Delivery: What COP30 Must Achieve

Luis Rios, Palladium’s Latin America Director, frames the stakes bluntly: “Planet Earth and humanity cannot continue to wait years for disbursements to take place.” For COP30 to be considered successful, he argues that it must pivot promises to performance.

“No more vague pledges for 2030 or 2050. What will happen in 2026—and by who? And what happens if it doesn’t?” This sense of urgency and need for accountability is critical to restoring trust in the COP process.
He adds that implementation must take precedence over negotiation. “With the Paris Agreement rulebook complete, COP30 must focus on execution—tracking Nationally Determined Contributions, financing adaptation, and scaling solutions… yes, in 2026, not 2030 or 2050.”

New climate finance goals must be backed by concrete pathways, not just promises. “Who in 2026 is going to put how much money into what?” Rios also stresses the role of the private sector: “Billions are spent on desk risk analysis, but not the same amounts in real, on-the-ground investments. COP30 must make the private sector see the opportunity behind climate and sustainability.”

Despite the skepticism, a series of innovative climate finance instruments will be launched during COP30, notes Borschiver. “Among the most prominent is the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a mechanism designed to mobilise up to US$125 billion in public and private capital to reward tropical countries for preserving standing forests.”

He explains that the facility will operate an endowment fund, with returns directed toward forest protection and a mandatory allocation of at least 20% to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. The Inter-American Development Bank will launch Reinvest+, a platform that converts seasoned climate loans—existing loans that have a track record of repayment and performance—into investment-grade securities. This process frees up capital, which is then reinvested into new climate-aligned projects, helping scale sustainable investment across Latin America.

Additionally, and hopefully, he adds, there is renewed momentum around Debt-for-Nature Swaps, with several countries exploring mechanisms to restructure sovereign debt in exchange for commitments to biodiversity and climate goals.

Why Belém is the Right Place

Belém couldn’t be a better place to gather over the next two weeks. It not only represents those supply chains driving deforestation, but it is also home to the entrepreneurs, farmers, and Indigenous enterprises building an Amazon bioeconomy around standing forests (from açaí and non-timber products to regenerative cattle systems).

These models are emerging across the region and with the right finance, governance, and technical support, can massively scale.
Hosting COP30 in Belém forces negotiators to confront the Amazon’s lived realities: the bottlenecks of budget execution and slow disbursements; the need for regulatory clarity; and the power of locally led investable solutions.

But as Borschiver notes, “Leadership requires more than presence, it demands delivery.” The measure of COP30 will be whether, by the close of 2026, we can point to financed, operational programmes protecting forests, restoring native ecosystems, and improving livelihoods at scale.

If COP30 can turn that proximity into accountability, linking climate and biodiversity, mainstreaming Indigenous leadership, and unlocking capital for nature-positive growth, then the Amazon won’t just host the conference; it will redefine what meaningful climate action looks like.

The Amazon cannot wait, and neither can the rest of the world.