What is COP and why is it important?

The first COP took place in 1995, in Berlin, Germany. Known as COP1, it marked the beginning of formal international negotiations on climate change under the UNFCCC.

Since then, COP summits have been held every year (except for 2020 due to COVID-19), each one building – sometimes frustratingly slowly – on what came before. For 30 years, topics have ranged from emissions reduction targets to finance, adaptation, and justice.

COP has delivered some major climate milestones:

• 1997 – Kyoto Protocol (COP3): The first legally binding emissions reduction agreement for industrialised countries.
• 2015 – Paris Agreement (COP21): A landmark global deal to limit global warming to well below 2°C – and ideally 1.5°C.
• 2021 – Glasgow Pact (COP26): Countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their national targets, although follow-through has lagged.

But despite these headline moments, global emissions are still rising, and most countries are not on track to meet their commitments. Oxfam and many others continue to call for COP to move beyond pledges to real delivery – especially for communities already bearing the brunt of the crisis.

Oxfam attends and mobilises around COP because the climate crisis is a justice issue.

People living in poverty, particularly in the Global South, are the least responsible for the emissions driving this crisis – but they’re the most affected by its consequences.

At COP, we:

• Amplify the voices of those living on the frontlines of climate change.
• Advocate for fair and accessible climate finance, especially for a just transition to renewable energy, adaptation, and loss and damage.
• Demand accountability from wealthy nations and major polluters.

We attend not just to witness – but to speak truth to power, challenge injustice, influence the negotiations and work with partners to build a fairer, safer future for all.

COP30 will be held in Belém, Brazil, in 2025 – in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. This will be the first time a COP summit is hosted in the Amazon region.

This year’s summit is especially important because it marks ten years since the Paris Agreement was adopted. The decisions made at COP30 could be a turning point – or another missed opportunity – for millions of people already suffering the effects of climate change.

COP30 is being described as the “delivery COP.” Unlike previous years, there is no theme that particularly stands out – but the focus will be on turning past promises into real, funded action.

Key topics likely to dominate:

• Adaptation: How to help countries prepare in the face of increasingly severe climate impacts
• Climate finance: How to meet and surpass the new target for climate finance set at COP29
• Just transition: Ensuring that climate action is fair and inclusive for workers and marginalised communities.

We cannot talk about adaptation, mitigation, or loss and damage without talking about money.

The climate finance gap refers to the enormous shortfall between what wealthy countries have promised and what lower-income countries need. Not only is what has been promised not enough, but it is also much less than what countries receive. Too often, this finance is offered as loans, which trap countries in debt, instead of grants.

Oxfam’s research shows that truly little climate finance reaches the local level where it’s most urgently needed.

At COP30, governments must:

• Commit to new, additional, public, and grant-based climate finance.
• Ensure money reaches frontline communities.
• Treat finance not as charity, but as a matter of climate justice

Oxfam research has also shown that there are fair ways for rich governments to raise additional public revenues for climate finance abroad and to support a just transition in their own countries. By taxing the richest and biggest polluters – such as fossil fuel corporations or the ultra-wealthy – more fairly, it is possible to fill the climate finance gap without burdening ordinary people.

Adopted at COP21, the Paris Agreement was a breakthrough – with nearly every country agreeing to work together to tackle climate change.

But a decade later, it’s clear that many of those promises remain unfulfilled. While some progress has been made – such as growing investment in renewable energy – frontline communities still face increasing climate shocks with little support or are paying the price for a transition that is not proving fair to them.

COP30 must be a turning point: not just for ambition, but for delivery, urgency, and equity.

The Paris Agreement succeeded in setting a shared global target: to limit warming to 1.5°C. It triggered waves of climate action, inspired national targets, and raised global awareness.

But it hasn’t delivered enough. Emissions are still rising. The most vulnerable communities are still being left behind, whilst the super-rich and corporations are continuing to emit even more.

COP30 offers a crucial moment to reflect, reset, and recommit – especially to the people most affected by the climate emergency.

Climate change is a human rights crisis. Oxfam is working alongside communities who are already adapting and resisting – but they need global solidarity.

As COP30 approaches, we are demanding:

• Concrete plans that ensure everyone can benefit from the transition to a green future
• Increased, fair, and accessible finance to enable lower-income countries to address climate change
• Ambitious reduction in emissions (climate targets) and urgent delivery on them
• A reduction in climate inequality, which is driving the impact on communities
• Real accountability from world leaders

You can help.