A new round of stronger national climate action plans. Accelerating the energy transition and putting an end to deforestation. Advancing adaptation and resilience efforts. Scaling up of climate finance and ensuring just and inclusive transitions. COP 30, kicking off in less than a month in the Brazilian Amazon, comes with ambitious goals for advancing the global climate agenda.
Turning such ambitious goals into reality is no easy feat, but it is within reach if countries make transparency the foundation of their actions. As the basis of evidence-based transformative policies, catalytic climate finance flows, credible just transition strategies, and more, transparency can be the key to unlocking this vision, bringing the world closer to a low-carbon, resilient future.
When leaders and experts from 195 countries gather next month in Belém, transparency should underpin all discussions about the future of climate action.
Two years ago, the first Global Stocktake evaluated global progress and came to the stark conclusion that the world was not on track to meet the long-term objectives of the Paris Agreement of keeping global warming at well below 2, ideally 1.5 degrees Celsius. This marks an urgency for the next generation of NDCs to drive meaningful, transformative change.
The gap is double. Firstly, the targets included in national climate plans – nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – are not ambitious enough. Secondly, the implementation of climate action on the ground is not happening at the scale and pace required to meet these targets, further hindered by inadequate financial resources and insufficient support for developing countries.
Transparency is a critical part of the solution to both challenges. The data and information provided by solid national transparency frameworks can shed light on the most effective climate solutions and the biggest obstacles. This allows climate ambition to be raised with a realistic perspective and a clear eye on implementation. The same data can be used to guide climate action on the ground, meaningfully engage national stakeholders, and mobilize the necessary financial resources. It also enables progress checks, evaluations and readjustments, so that countries can advance efficiently, making the most of their resources and seizing emerging opportunities.
To put the Paris Agreement on track to meet its objectives, countries must massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by accelerating their transition away from fossil fuels. A fundamental transformation across sectors, from energy to agriculture to industry, should replace unsustainable practices with low-carbon, climate-resilient solutions. This requires effective policies that address climate change in a fair, just, and inclusive manner.
Just transition will be an important focus of the negotiations at COP30. The shift away from the current unsustainable practices must be accompanied by social and economic measures to support communities, workers, vulnerable groups and businesses that risk to be impacted by the transition. This approach allows governments to respond to legitimate concerns with credibility and builds broad support for climate policies, paving the way for their successful implementation.
Monitoring frameworks for just transitions enable countries to use targeted indicators to track how climate action is affecting their environments, economies, and societies, and how corrective measures deal with such impacts. These data management frameworks for just transitions streamline the collection of information and can provide evidence to monitor policies that support positive outcomes for all affected stakeholders, minimizing unintended and undesirable change. By keeping workers, citizens, and businesses informed, they foster trust among stakeholders concerned about the impacts of the transition, which in turn supports the implementation of ambitious measures.
Building on the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience and the two-year UAE-Belém work programme on indicators, COP30 in Belém is expected to be a decisive moment for operationalizing the Paris Agreements’s global goal on adaptation (GGA). Progress on adaptation at COP30 could include both an agreement on a goal to measure progress and a new target for adaptation finance in developing countries.
A set of measurable global targets and indicators would allow countries to track of progress in adaptation action and resilience building. The indicators could be used to guide and monitor adaptation efforts in key areas such as food production, water, health, and early warning systems for disaster prevention, finalizing the GGA ten years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement.
While an operational global goal on adaptation would be a very welcome outcome, it needs to build on strong in-country systems, which are vital for achieving national adaptation goals. Adaptation monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks empower countries with nationally, regionally and locally adapted information systems. These systems provide a basis for informed decisions, so that countries can effectively plan, implement and manage adaptation action. Adaptation M&E frameworks can also be instrumental in mobilizing adaptation finance, by providing evidence of the effectiveness of adaptation strategies and by bringing together ministries, local actors and development partners, fostering the kind of coordinated approaches that enhance investor trust.
The Global Stocktake urges countries to contribute to efforts to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, while advancing sustainable agriculture and building resilient food systems. At a COP where nature takes center stage, it is an opportunity to take a holistic approach to climate, biodiversity, land, and food systems.
Data should guide decision-makers every step of the way. By improving their monitoring, reporting, and verification frameworks, countries can access critical information to make forward-looking choices that drive lasting impact. This includes data on forest loss, ecosystem conversion, land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and relevant socioeconomic factors.
Systematic impact assessment of both policies and measures allows policymakers and investors to direct resources to the most effective solutions, accelerating climate progress while safeguarding food security and the environment.
For example, Paraguay is evaluating, in the context of an ICAT project, the impacts of key forest-sector policies and measures on greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable development, and transformational change to inform decision-making in the sector and progress toward NDC achievement. Similarly, Brazil is developing a comprehensive, evidence-based mitigation plan for the forestry and land-use sector to guide sustainable land management, reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, and support the implementation of the NDC and the national climate action plan (“Plano Clima”). This is accompanied by a monitoring framework for just transitions for a holistic, data-enabled approach to systems transformation.
Following extensive negotiations at COP29 in Baku, countries reached a landmark agreement on a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) for climate finance, tripling financial support to developing countries to USD 300 billion annually by 2035. All actors are also called to work together to mobilize a total of USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035 from both public and private sources to drive global climate action.
At COP30, the focus shifts to operationalizing the NCQG, including discussions on financial flows, the balance between mitigation and adaptation, accountability, and links to sustainable development.
Transparency frameworks play a vital role in estimating, tracking, and reporting climate finance. Domestically, they enhance coordination and strategic planning among national institutions, while internationally, they strengthen engagement with donors and investors, boosting trust and credibility. From estimating the costs of NDC 3.0 actions to tracking financial flows to reporting on support and gaps with full accountability, transparency places countries firmly in control of their climate finance agendas.
While national governments are the ones spearheading a country’s climate ambition and vision through the NDC 3.0, true progress depends on the active engagement of all levels of government, every sector of the economy, and every part of society. The Brazilian presidency’s Global Mutirao against climate change calls for a “global effort of cooperation among peoples for the progress of humanity.”
From subnational governments and businesses to indigenous communities, every sector of society must play a role in turning climate ambition into action. Consultative processes and inclusive approaches foster multi-sectoral coordination, harness collective knowledge, and facilitate equitable policy design and implementation.
Transparency enables meaningful stakeholder engagement, which is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of NDCs. By bringing all voices to the table, it strengthens decision-making, builds trust, and enhances the effectiveness of climate policies. Collecting, integrating, analyzing, and reporting data helps develop an accurate picture of a country’s climate needs and progress, plan effective action, engage the right stakeholders in crafting solutions, and eventually lead nations toward a carbon-neutral, climate-resilient, sustainable future.
With transparency as the compass guiding climate talks and decisions in Belém, COP30 could be remembered as the moment the world truly turned ambition into action.
Photo by Alanlemos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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