Reflection on COP30 and a messy reminder of how climate progress is still marching ahead

In 2015, nearly 200 countries gathered in Paris and agreed to try to keep global temperature rise within 1.5°C. Ten years later, the global average temperature was 1.5C hotter than the pre-industrial baseline. Scientists warn we’ve likely crossed our first climate tipping point, with warm-water coral reefs already in serious decline and at risk of widespread collapse. Wildfire smoke is becoming a yearly reality for many Canadians. Lately it’s been hard not to feel discouraged.

So, when The Peter Gilgan Foundation was invited to attend COP30 this year as part of the Northern Council for Global Cooperation, I was ecstatic! COP, or the Conference of Parties, is a yearly gathering of countries to discuss climate change and agree on pathways ahead. I was hopeful to expand my knowledge and understand whether global climate cooperation still has a pulse. COP30 took place in Belém, Brazil, right where the Amazon River meets the ocean. The location felt intentional, putting Indigenous leadership and tropical forests at its centre. This was to be the COP of Truth.

The experience itself was certainly unforgettable. The scale is enormous, the crowds overwhelming. You walk kilometers trying to find the correct meeting room or pavilion. Food runs out, toilet paper disappears, dengue and food poisoning and strep make the rounds. A major fire shut down the venue for a half-day, disruptions are common, and the increasing police presence was hard to miss. The mood seemed mixed as questions on multilateralism slipped through the cracks of conversation.

But institutional strides continue onwards. As part of this COP, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility was launched to support tropical forest protection. Countries agreed on a new Gender Action Plan to guide gender-responsive climate policy and finance, with a strong focus on Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and rural women. Jobs and economic opportunity were framed, not as casualties of the low-carbon transition, but as benefits. Brazil launched the Belém Health Action Plan, one of the first international frameworks focused on helping health systems adapt to climate change, alongside about $300 million in new philanthropic commitments led by the Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome Trust.

After a hot debate, countries agreed to voluntary follow-up initiatives under the Brazilian presidency to accelerate implementation of their existing climate plans. This is a cautious step forward, but not the clear fossil-fuel roadmap many had hoped for. By the end of COP30, 119 countries representing 74% of global emissions submitted new climate commitments. Although they still fall short, delivering less than 15% of the emissions reductions needed to stay under 1.5°C, the momentum is still there.

I come away from Brazil with hope, together with a strange mixture of sweat, butterflies, and appreciation for the discourse, but hope nonetheless. On an international stage, we are making larger and larger strides for climate everyday.

In the first half of 2025, renewables generated more electricity than coal globally for the first time on record.

According to the International Energy Agency, clean energy investment is around $2–2.2 trillion a year, roughly twice what’s going into fossil fuels.

China now gets around 40% of its power from low-carbon sources and roughly half of new cars sold there are electric.

India hit its target of getting 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources five years early. In early 2025, solar became Pakistan’s largest source of grid electricity, providing about a quarter of the total.

Africa, long overlooked, is finally seeing major investment in solar potential.

We can do better, always, but the transition is already happening, thanks to in part by COP30, but also to everyone who has continued to march forward.

The philanthropic community is essential in this movement. There are opportunities to embed climate into their work: health, housing, food systems, economic mobility, education, Indigenous rights, community resilience, etc. all have a climate lens. Climate does not have to be a stand-alone department which manages its own affairs, it is a facet that can be brought into every decision. Every program, every grant, every strategy can help build us towards a more resilient future, a net-zero transition, or however we wish to define our vision for the future.

Resources

Ambrose, Jillian. “Global Renewable Energy Generation Surpasses Coal for First Time.” The Guardian, 7 Oct. 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/07/global-renewable-energy-generation-surpasses-coal-first-time

COP30 Brasil. COP30: Landmark Outcomes Emerge from Negotiations Despite Unprecedented Geopolitical Tensions. 23 Nov. 2025. https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/cop30-landmark-outcomes-emerge-from-negotiations-despite-unprecedented-geopolitical-tensions

COP30 Brasil / UNFCCC. COP30 Approves Belém Package. 22 Nov. 2025. https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/cop30-approves-belem-package

Harvey, Fiona, et al. “End of Fossil Fuel Era Inches Closer as COP30 Deal Agreed After Bitter Standoff.” The Guardian, 22 Nov. 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/22/cop30-deal-inches-closer-to-end-of-fossil-fuel-era-after-bitter-standoff

Harvey, Fiona, et al. “‘Fossil Fuel Giants Finally in the Crosshairs’: COP30 Avoids Total Failure with Last-Ditch Deal.” The Guardian, 22 Nov. 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/25/fossil-fuel-giants-finally-in-the-crosshairs-cop30-avoids-total-failure-with-last-ditch-deal

Hawkins, Amy. “China Breaks More Records with Surge in Solar and Wind Power.” The Guardian, 26 June 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/26/china-breaks-more-records-with-massive-build-up-of-wind-and-solar-power

International Energy Agency. Executive Summary – Renewables 2025. IEA, Nov. 2025. https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2025/executive-summary

Shah, Jigar. “The Perfect Storm Fueling Pakistan’s Solar Boom.” World Resources Institute, 1 Oct. 2025. https://www.wri.org/insights/pakistan-solar-energy-boom

Singh, Inayat. “COP30 Failed to Land a Deal on the Fossil Fuel Transition. Countries Are Moving Forward Anyway.” CBC News, 24 Nov. 2025. https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/cop30-fossil-fuels-transition-brazil-climate-9.6990405

Tollefson, Jeff. “Global Greenhouse-Gas Emissions Are Still Rising: When Will They Peak?” Nature, 12 Nov. 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03618-z

World Resources Institute. COP30: Landmark Outcomes Emerge from Negotiations Despite Unprecedented Geopolitical Tensions. WRI, 2025. https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/cop30-landmark-outcomes-emerge-from-negotiations-despite-unprecedented-geopolitical-tensions

World Resources Institute. COP30: Outcomes, Disappointments and What’s Next. WRI, 25 Nov. 2025. https://www.wri.org/insights/cop30-outcomes-next-steps

This shared commitment to Climate x Health was front and centre at COP30, hosted in Belém, Brazil. This year, the Peter Gilgan Foundation joined the delegation for the Northern Council for Global Cooperation, among many global innovators and policy leaders.

Highlights from COP30:

Participating in a panel discussion on decarbonizing the drug supply, spotlighting the opportunities and challenges in reducing emissions from medications and their supply chain