Africa Demands Fair Climate Finance as COP30 Opens in Brazil’s Amazon

By James Kahonge of Powershift Africa - COP30, the annual global climate summit, opened on 10 November in Belém, Brazil, where United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell warned that the world is moving too slowly to tackle the worsening climate crisis. The summit brings together global leaders to negotiate action on emissions, adaptation, and climate finance.

After hours of tense negotiations, delegates finalized the summit’s agenda late on Sunday at 11:30pm. Key issues included Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement on finance obligations, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and proposals on trade measures and transparency reporting.

Experts from Power Shift Africa in Belém report that Africa’s proposal to include its “special needs” in the formal agenda was rejected. Instead, these issues will be discussed through informal consultations led by the COP Presidency, continuing until Wednesday.

Despite the usual first-day wrangling, negotiators described the start of COP30 as smooth and cooperative, signaling that multilateralism remains alive. With anti-climate lobbies waiting to exploit any sign of gridlock, the Brazilian COP30 Presidency is keen to demonstrate unity and progress.

At the opening plenary, Simon Stiell, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, said global cooperation had at least prevented “an impossible future” of runaway heating. “We have so much more work to do. We must move much, much faster; both in reducing emissions and in strengthening resilience,” he told delegates.

Stiell credited the Paris Agreement, adopted 10 years ago, with bending the curve of projected global heating from as high as 5°C to below 3°C, saying, “It is still perilous, but it proves that climate cooperation works.” He emphasized that success now depends on two interlinked pillars: stronger, more credible national climate plans (NDCs) and the financing to make them possible.

Adopted in 2015, the Paris Agreement aims to keep global temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, the threshold scientists warn is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. While the agreement has helped slow projected heating, experts warn that current efforts are still insufficient to meet these targets.

“Plans without finance cannot reach their full potential,” he said.

Africa Pushes for Fair Climate Finance

“Finance is the great accelerator,” Stiell said, highlighting the Baku to Belém Roadmap, which aims to increase global climate finance from US$300 billion annually to US$1.3 trillion by 2035. African negotiators hope the roadmap will provide predictable, affordable funds for adaptation and a just energy transition.

The Baku to Belém Roadmap is expected to draw on contributions from developed countries, multilateral banks, and philanthropic sources. Funds will be channeled through a combination of national governments and direct access for local institutions, aiming to ensure that vulnerable communities receive support for adaptation and climate resilience, not just emissions reductions in middle-income countries.

“Every dollar invested in climate solutions brings multiple dividends: jobs, cleaner air, better health, resilient supply chains, and stronger energy and food security,” he added.

Supporters hailed the roadmap as an ambitious but necessary step to close the gap between climate pledges and real-world funding. Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and President of last year’s COP29, described it as “a rare opportunity to transform promises into tangible progress.”

Brazil, hosting COP30 under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, called the roadmap “a blueprint for collective resolve” and urged negotiators to focus on fairness and delivery rather than rhetoric. “The science is clear, the moral imperative undeniable. What remains is the resolve,” they said.

Mohamed Adow, founder of Power Shift Africa, said:

“COP30 must deliver the priorities for Africa and the wider developing world. We need a fair deal that provides finance for adaptation in vulnerable countries and supports a just transition to renewable energy. These are not acts of charity, but investments in a stable, liveable planet. We also need the sharing of clean energy technology from the global north to the global south and more national climate plans from all countries to accelerate momentum toward a safe and prosperous planet.”

Speaking on the adoption of the agenda, he added:

 “It’s good to see the agenda formally adopted and the start of the COP underway in a reasonably orderly fashion. But saving the multilateral UN process doesn’t mean we’re guaranteed to save the planet. We need actual steps to boost climate finance and commit to a just energy transition, moving away from polluting fossil fuels and investing more in clean renewables.”

Sandra Guzmán, Director General of the Climate Finance Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (GFLAC), warned that “private and philanthropic funds must complement, not replace, the obligations of developed countries.”

Omar Elmawi, Convenor of the Africa Movement of Movements, noted:

“We cannot keep sailing blindly into a climate apocalypse while pretending everything is merry. COP30 must be the turning point, where words become action, and promises become justice.”

Hosting the talks in the Amazon, the planet’s largest carbon sink, is both symbolic and strategic, a reminder that global climate progress hinges on protecting ecosystems and empowering local communities.

For Africa, COP30 is a moment of reckoning. The continent contributes less than 4 per cent of global emissions but bears the heaviest costs of climate change, from droughts and cyclones to collapsing agricultural yields and energy insecurity. African negotiators have consistently argued that without predictable, affordable finance, developing nations cannot deliver on their commitments.

The Baku to Belém Roadmap could be transformative if implemented fairly, ensuring that new funds reach life-saving adaptation projects in vulnerable communities, not just emissions reductions in middle-income economies. African countries are also demanding a rebalancing of the climate finance equation to include more grants, fewer debt-driven instruments, and direct access for local governments and institutions.

There is also optimism. Across Kenya, Rwanda, Morocco, and South Africa, governments are already investing in electric mobility, renewable energy, and green manufacturing, practical examples of how climate action can drive growth and jobs if backed by finance and technology transfer.

Several African countries are already taking practical steps toward climate adaptation. For instance, Kenya is expanding solar-powered mini-grids to provide energy access to rural communities, Rwanda is implementing flood and landslide mitigation programs, and Morocco is investing in large-scale solar and wind projects to diversify its energy mix. These initiatives demonstrate how targeted finance and technology transfer could accelerate a just transition across the continent.

Despite the challenges, Stiell emphasized that the Paris Agreement framework remains sound. “But the next decade will determine whether it delivers in full. History will not ask what we intended; it will ask what we achieved.”

For Africa, COP30 is a pivotal moment: a chance to secure finance, technology, and support for a just transition as the continent faces the brunt of climate impacts.