Beyond COP30: climate finance, justice and action in 2026
This event unpacked the outcomes of COP30 and explored how they will shape priorities and action in the year ahead.
In Zimbabwe, local farmers are using organic farming techniques as a way to build resilience to climate change (Photo: Pylaia Chembe/UNDP Zimbabwe, via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)
For the first time, the UN Climate Conference (COP30) was hosted in Belém, Brazil, in the largest rainforest in the world.
Amid intensifying climate disasters, seismic geopolitical shifts and persistent barriers to participation, COP30 represented a critical moment for climate and nature. The need to mobilise finance, scale up adaptation and secure national climate plans has never been greater.
The question was clear: would COP30 rise to the challenge, especially for those already hardest hit by climate impacts?
This IIED Debates event brought together speakers working at the forefront of climate science, policy and action to explore the major outcomes from COP30.
Speakers considered national climate commitments (NDCs), progress on the global goal on adaptation and developments on the Just Transition Mechanism.
The discussion situated these outcomes within broader developments in 2025, including the International Court of Justice advisory opinion and debt distress in vulnerable economies.
Together, panellists considered how these dynamics are shaping the global climate and nature agenda for the year ahead and made predictions about the key challenges and opportunities for action in 2026.
Speakers
- Lina Yassin, climate change researcher, IIED
- Binyam Gebreyes, head of governance, LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR)
- Ineza Grace, founder, The Green Protector
- Evans Davie Njewa, deputy director, Climate Change; chair LDCs and former board member to Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund
- Tom Mitchell, IIED executive director (moderator)
Event coverage
You can watch a recording of the entire webinar below or on IIED's YouTube channel, where there are also timestamped links to each of the speakers' contributions.
About IIED Debates
This event was part of the IIED Debates series. Through the convening of expert speakers and external stakeholders, IIED brings together an international community to discuss critical issues.
IIED Debates encompass both physical and digital events, including critical themes, breakfast debriefs and webinars. These events are public and are hosted regularly throughout the year online and when possible in our London and Edinburgh offices.
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Contact
Hephzibah Osinubi ([email protected]), IIED communications team and events coordinator
