COP30: A turning point for climate, forests and food systems?
By Richard Dowling, Sustainability Manager
This November, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) heads to the heart of the Amazon. Hosted in Belém, Brazil – where five million hectares of rainforest are lost each year – the summit presents a pivotal opportunity: can the global community deliver a credible roadmap for climate action, biodiversity protection, and food security?
COP30: what’s at stake in Belém this November
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), launched at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, laid the foundations for global climate action. Its decision-making body, the Conference of the Parties (COP) will gather again in Belém, Brazil, from 10-21 November, with Brazil holding the presidency.
This year marks 10 years since the Paris Agreement, in which 196 nations pledged to limit global warming to well below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels. Notably, only the US has withdrawn (under Trump), joining Iran, Yemen, and Libya as the only countries outside the agreement.
At COP30, countries must submit updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – climate action plans with targets and timelines through to 2035. Despite these plans being central to curbing global temperature rises, only 15 countries met the 10 February deadline, with geopolitical crises cited as contributing factors.
The UK submitted their NDC in January, pledging to cut emissions by 81% from 1990 levels by 2035. However, preliminary negotiations in Bonn, Germany have already raised concerns that current pledges fall short of what’s needed to prevent dangerous climate breakdown.
What progress was made at last year’s COP29?
Last year’s COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, was underwhelming. Although there were discussions on climate finance, adaptation, and international carbon markets, the summit was marred by political controversy and lack of progress. Azerbaijan’s President caused significant controversy for calling fossil fuels a “gift of God” while downplaying the country’s emissions record. Comments like that naturally drew questions as to whether awarding Azerbaijan the opportunity to host the event was appropriate.
Given that lots of key climate decisions were postponed until COP30, we can expect these topics to be on the agenda again in Belém, in addition to a variety of others. In particular, providing climate finance for the developing world to cut emissions and adapt to extreme weather is in wealthy countries’ interest, given that climate migration is already in the tens of millions a year globally.
Importance of the Amazon
With COP30 returning to Brazil for the first time since the original 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, attention is rightly turning to the Amazon. As the world’s largest land-based carbon sink and one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, the Amazon is critical to regulating the planet’s climate.
However, this year’s preparations are already proving controversial. A new four-lane highway is being built to accommodate the 50,000 attendees expected in Belém. While this infrastructure may facilitate the event, it also risks destroying tens of thousands of acres of rainforest.
Though sustainability features have been included in the project – like wildlife crossings and solar lighting – ecologists and Indigenous leaders are raising alarm.
In parallel, Brazil has suspended the soy moratorium, potentially opening up an area the size of Portugal to deforestation. Conservationists fear this could undo hard-won gains.
Reasons for optimism
Yet there is cause for optimism. President Lula da Silva has pledged to end deforestation of the Amazon by 2030. This will be supported by Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) and Brazil’s Forest Code, which requires landowners to preserve or restore forest on part of their land.
During Lula’s first presidency, rates of deforestation fell by 75%, before rising substantially following the election of Jair Bolsonaro. Indeed, Carbon Brief explain the environmental benefits of Bolsonaro’s election defeat. With the right political will and international support, that success could be repeated. There are also signs of growing resistance to Brazil’s powerful agribusiness lobby, with calls to prioritise forest protection over soy and cattle expansion.
The food connection
The Amazon’s fate is intimately linked with global food systems. Meat production, particularly cattle farming and soy for chicken and pig feed, is a leading cause of deforestation in the region. The UK cannot take the moral high ground when, in addition to their greenhouse gas footprint, British farm animals are widely fed soy grown in deforested land in the Amazon and Cerrado. Globally, only 7% of soy is consumed by humans; 77% is fed to livestock.
If the world is serious about achieving the Paris targets, emissions from animal agriculture must fall by 61% by 2036.
That’s why reducing meat consumption, especially in high income countries, is a powerful climate lever. Plant-rich swaps can slash emissions, while shifting procurement to more sustainable ingredients delivers both environmental and financial value.
Key areas that COP30 must address
After the relative disappointment of COP29, the stakes are high for COP30. Taking place on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, it offers a crucial moment to put sustainability firmly back in the global spotlight and drive real progress.
One of the most pressing priorities will be climate finance for developing nations. COP29 delivered a pledge of $300 billion annually by 2035 – widely seen as falling short. Now, hopes rest on the Baku to Belém Roadmap, which calls for at least $1.3 trillion to support developing countries in delivering their climate goals.
Alongside finance, the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), established under the Paris Agreement, will be back in focus. With climate impacts escalating, adaptation is no longer a secondary issue but an urgent necessity, particularly for those countries most vulnerable to rising temperatures, floods, and extreme weather.
Delegates will also grapple with how to achieve a net-zero, climate-resilient economy in a way that protects vulnerable workers and communities around the world. Ensuring fairness and equity in the shift to clean energy is now seen as essential to long-term climate success.
Bearing in mind that COP30 is being hosted in Belém – at the gateway to the Amazon – nature-based solutions will be high on the agenda. A major initiative, the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), will be launched to incentivise countries to prevent deforestation and protect critical ecosystems.
Given the interconnectedness of biodiversity and the climate, there will be no shortage of discussion points. Rising greenhouse gas emissions continue to damage ecosystems, while 2.3 billion people were food insecure in 2024 – highlighting the urgent need to restore biodiversity as part of tackling both the climate and hunger crises.
Food waste: an overlooked opportunity
Food waste will be a major theme at COP30, with a Food Waste Breakthrough initiative aiming to halve global food waste and reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
COP30 host Brazil, for example, is faced with 64 million of its citizens suffering from some degree of food insecurity, and will therefore launch a national Food Bank Network to tackle hunger and address the redistribution of food that would otherwise be wasted in the supply chain.
The link between food waste and emissions is well-established: roughly one-third of all food produced globally is wasted. In the UK, allmanhall’s supply partners are leading the charge:
- Bidfood have cut food waste sent to landfill by 92% in six years, as part of their mid-term goal of reducing food waste by 63% by 2030.
- Olleco collects food waste for anaerobic digestion, generating renewable energy and organic fertiliser.
- Costa Coffee provide free coffee grounds for composting and redistribute surplus food.
We know that reducing waste isn’t just good for the planet – it improves margins and meets the growing demand for responsible sourcing.
Getting started with sustainable change
It’s easy to see events like COP30 as distant or abstract. But the truth is, every organisation has a role to play. From schools and hospitals to care homes and hospitality venues, building sustainable food systems starts with small, strategic changes which will also save you money:
- Switching to lower-impact ingredients like plant-rich proteins – the Eat Curious range of dehydrated products are stored ambient and, when hydrated, have a carbon footprint of just over 1 kg CO2e/kg of product
- Cutting waste and tracking progress with tools like The Pass
- Educating teams and diners with carbon labelling via our partnership with Foodsteps
- Even one recipe swap can make a difference -replacing a standard beef burger (5.77 kg CO2e) with The Brighter Burger (0.34 kg CO2e) reduces carbon emissions by over 90% for real, measurable impact
- Utilising allmanhall’s Hero Recipes – dishes that maximise flavour and nutrition without breaking catering budgets.
Make Belém a breakthrough, not another COP-out
Ready to make a change? Contact us now to discover how our award-winning solutions can help you create a more resilient, ethical, and sustainable food system. We believe that good food shouldn’t cost the Earth and with COP30 on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to turn that belief into action.
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Learn more about how allmanhall are driving sustainable and responsible food procurement.