COP30: From Commitments to Action

COP30 in Belém marked a clear shift. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the global focus has moved from ambition to implementation. Not what needs to be done, but how fast we act.

Despite geopolitical tensions and rising climate impacts, COP30 delivered progress where it matters most: adaptation, health, nature and climate finance. Countries committed to tripling adaptation finance by 2035, agreed on global indicators to track resilience, launched the first climate-health action framework, and advanced a roadmap to mobilise large-scale climate finance for developing countries.  

Nature and bioeconomy were at the heart of the discussions, with the Amazon hosting COP30. Countries launched the Amazon Resilience Partnership and committed to more transparent reporting on nature-based solutions and nature-positive impacts in their NDCs. While a global deforestation deal was not reached, momentum grew for regenerative farming, Indigenous-led conservation, circular bioeconomy approaches, sustainable biomass, and smarter land-use planning — key levers for reducing emissions and strengthening resilience.

At the same time, COP30 exposed critical gaps: no global fossil fuel phase-out, limited breakthroughs on forest protection, and slow progress on Loss and Damage finance.

G-STIC at COP30: Bridging Technology, Policy and Finance

For G-STIC, COP30 strengthened its mission as a global platform connecting technology, policy and finance. Bilateral meetings highlighted opportunities to scale technology deployment, strengthen capacity-building, and mobilise finance for impact-driven climate solutions.  

Dietrich Van der Weken, representing G-STIC, had bilateral exchanges with the UNFCCC, CTCN and IDRC highlighted opportunities for G-STIC to contribute more directly to technology deployment and capacity building, while conversations with WIPO GREEN, GGGI, Fiocruz reinforced a shared commitment for collaborative innovation and knowledge partnerships.  

Engagements with IKI, the Mitigation Action Facility and the Adaptation Fund underscored clear pathways for mobilising finance toward scalable, impact-driven solutions. Meanwhile, discussions with SDSN, GeSI, the International Science Council and the Belmont Forum reaffirmed the importance of science-based decision-making and multi-stakeholder cooperation.  

Strategic Bilateral Engagements

Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), G-STIC's co-host in Brazil, played a prominent role as a leading scientific and public-health voice linking climate change to human and planetary health. The institution stressed that the climate crisis is, at its core, a health crisis - a key message in its Carta Aberta (Open Letter) for COP30, calling for health to take center stage in climate policy.  

Fiocruz organised and participated in multiple sessions, including a roundtable in the COP30 Health Pavilion on building integrated climate-health monitoring systems.  It also encouraged Latin American countries to set up Climate and Health Observatories inspired by Brazil’s model.  

Researchers and leaders from Fiocruz contibuted to debates on health in the Amazon - from sanitation and territorial health to “One Health” approaches - bringing scientific evidence into broader discussions on territorial and climate justice.  

The Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion (GIEC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and G-STIC co-host, participated in COP as a UNFCCC observer. GIEC co-hosted an official side event with the Global Environmental Institute on The Global South Re-framing Climate Multilateralism: Nature, Food Security and Just Transitions. GIEC researchers also took part in roundtable forums hosted by iGDP, Energy Foundation China, State Grid, and others, sharing insights on China's climate actions and low-carbon transition pathways.

TERI, The Energy and Resources Institute and G-STIC co-host in India, played an active role across several high-level forums at COP. With more than a dozen experts speaking in UNFCCC side events, partner dialogues and panel discussions, TERI highlighted India’s innovationsin clean energy, grid-interactive buildings, sustainable cities, digital MRV, and community-based resilience.  

TERI also strengthened collaborations with international organisations, advanced climate-finance discussions, and deepened engagement on multilateralism and ethics-driven climate action. Its broad presence underscored TERI’s leadership in science-based, equitable transitions and its role as a key global knowledge partner in accelerating sustainable development.

VITO and G-STIC: Turning Science into Actionable Climate Solutions

For VITO, COP30 directly reinforces its role in climate risk modelling, environmental intelligence, digital twins and health-focused innovation. Governments now need integrated data systems, early warning tools and science-based scenarios to turn policy into action. VITO’s presence was not just symbolic - it demonstrated how a research and innovation organisation can turn science into actionable solutions, connect stakeholders across sectors, and ensure that global ambitions lead to measurable results.

The message from Belém is unmistakable: the next decade is about delivery. 
Implementation, adaptation and innovation ecosystems will determine success. This is precisely where G-STIC and the co-hosts make a difference.