Ireland and COP30
COP30 - takes place from 10-21 November 2025. What is it and why is it important?
COP30 takes place from 10-21 November. What is COP and why is it important?
What is COP?
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
It brings together the 198 Parties –197 nations plus the European Union – that have signed on to the Framework Convention to agree actions to tackle the climate crisis.
Since 1995, with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic, COPs have been hosted annually.
Countries gather to review progress compared with the latest climate science, and set new commitments on both preventing and adapting to the climate crisis.
Some landmark commitments made during past COPs include:
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol committed industrialised economies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with individual targets. 192 countries were part of the Kyoto Protocol, but it only set legally binding emission targets for 37 industrialised countries and the EU. It ran until 2020, and has been superseded by the Paris Agreement.
Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty in which countries committed to limiting global heating to well below 2 degrees (and ideally 1.5 degrees) compared to pre-industrial levels.
Glasgow Climate Pact
The Glasgow Climate Pact saw countries agree to reduce the gap between emission reduction plans and the action needed to limit heating to 1.5 degrees. It was the first time a COP agreement included commitments to phase down coal power and fossil fuel subsidies.
Loss and Damage Fund
(COP27, Sharm el-Sheikh, 2022)
Developing countries most vulnerable to climate change contribute the least to global emissions. A new fund and funding arrangements were agreed at COP27 to support particularly vulnerable developing countries respond to the worst impacts of climate change.
Why is COP important?
2024 saw the world experience record global temperatures.
Climate extremes have become the norm for many regions with impacts for human health, wellbeing, nature and biodiversity of grave concern. The concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere have continued to increase, reaching new record levels. We continue to see extreme and dangerous weather events across the globe, with wildfires, droughts and flash flooding have continuing to affect people in every corner of the globe.
COP Summits see leaders from all over the world come together to find solutions to a crisis that affects us all. At a time when the world is facing serious divisions across a number of conflicts, the urgent need to tackle climate change unites the entire world in a common goal.
The latest report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in March 2023 emphasised the need to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen our ability to adapt to the now unavoidable impacts of climate change.
The report found:
- “Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people. Vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected... It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.”
- “Approximately 3.3 to 3.6 billion people live in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change… Increasing weather and climate extreme events have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security… Between 2010 and 2020, human mortality from floods, droughts and storms was 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions, compared to regions with very low vulnerability.”
- “Climate change has reduced food security and affected water security, hindering efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goals… Roughly half of the world’s population currently experience severe water scarcity for at least part of the year due to a combination of climatic and non-climatic drivers.”
- “Some future changes are unavoidable and/or irreversible but can be limited by deep, rapid, and sustained global greenhouse gas emissions reduction... Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”
What can we expect at COP30?
The 30th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) will take place in Belem, Brazil between the 10 – 21 November 2025. Brazil has named André Aranha Corrêa do Lago as COP30 President. Do Lago is a diplomat and experienced climate negotiator. He is joined by Ambassador Lilliam Chagas, as COP30 Lead Negotiator, and Ana Toni, as COP30 CEO.
Following on from COP29’s characterisation as the ‘finance COP’, the COP30 Presidency have said that they intend for this COP to be an ‘implementation COP’, with the focus spread over all key areas (inc. mitigation, adaptation, finance, just transition, capacity building etc). In keeping with this, there is no singular “headline” issue for COP30. Discussions are expected to focus on:
- Mitigation, including the submission of new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs):
- Adaptation, specifically the agreement of the Global Goal on Adaptation’s indicators, though adaptation finance is also expected to feature highly in discussions;
- Finance, as the Baku to Belem Roadmap to 1.3T, will be presented prior to COP;
- Just Transition, gender and trade related issues (including the EU’s CBAM) may also feature in discussions.
COP30 will have a challenging political context, with external challenges to the multilateral process as a backdrop to the negotiations.” Nonetheless, Ireland will engage to seek the best possible outcome. Ireland remains committed to the multilateral process, which we strongly believe is the only viable avenue to address the triple planetary crisis that poses such a threat to the global community.
COP30 will be a key milestone for Team Ireland in particular, as we prepare for COP31, at which Ireland will hold the Presidency of the EU and lead the COP negotiations on its behalf.
How will Ireland engage?
Ireland recognises that COP is the most important global gathering to discuss the most pressing issue of our time. Ireland strongly believes in tackling global challenges through multilateral forums and has been actively pushing for stronger climate action through a number of avenues.
Taoiseach Michael Martin will represent Ireland at the Leader’s Summit, on the 6 – 7 November, delivering Ireland’s National Statement.
Minister Darragh O’Brien will lead Ireland’s National Climate Delegation for the political negotiations in week two. The Delegation is made up of officials from across Government and a number agencies. For the fourth year Ireland also is represented by its Climate Youth Delegate. Fatima Ishmail was appointed as Irish Climate Youth Delegate in May of this year and was recently joined by Sean Dillon as Ireland’s second Climate Youth Delegate in September.
Minister of State Neale Richmond will attend COP30 for the 10 – 21 November, where he will meet Ireland’s key strategic climate and development partners.
Ireland continues to engage in international climate negotiations through our membership of the EU delegation. Many members of the Irish Delegation are also members of EU expert groups on issues such as science, mitigation, finance, adaptation, Loss and Damage and gender, where the EU’s negotiation positions for COP are prepared over a number of months.
Ireland is also active through its climate diplomacy, with participation in groups such as the EU Climate Envoys group, the Champions Group on Adaptation Finance and through membership of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action.