Blog do IFZ | 06/11/2025
COP30 marks a unique moment in recent environmental history: for the first time, the United Nations’ largest climate conference will take place in Amazonian territory, bringing together representatives from nearly two hundred countries in the city of Belém. The meeting carries both symbolic and practical weight — the forest that harbours one-fifth of the planet’s species becomes the stage for the most delicate negotiations about the future of global warming. Amid a context marked by pledges of decarbonisation, economic pressures, and the urgency of climate disasters, the conference seeks to renew commitments and assess the real reach of the Paris Agreement. The Amazon, with its immense biological and social diversity, offers a setting that is both a warning and a source of hope.
In this context, understanding the vocabulary that structures climate discussions also means understanding the spirit of the COP itself. The COP30 Glossary offers a dive into this technical and political language that, through acronyms, expressions, and concepts, translates humanity’s efforts to balance science, diplomacy, and environmental justice. Far from being merely a repository of definitions, it serves as an interpretive map — a bridge between official terminology and everyday life, between global negotiations and local realities. Each word, each term, each acronym carries the weight of a commitment and the promise of a still-possible world.
Download here the COP30 Glossary (in Portuguese and English)
COP30 Glossary — Key Terms and Concepts in Climate Negotiations
The world of the UN’s Conferences of the Parties (COPs) has its own language — a network of acronyms, expressions, and commitments that describe the collective effort to contain global warming. This glossary gathers, in alphabetical order, the main terms guiding international climate policies and shaping the debate at COP30, to be held in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon.
1.5°C
The ideal limit for the rise in average global temperature by the mid-21st century, compared to pre-industrial levels (1850–1900). This is the maximum considered safe to avoid irreversible impacts of climate change, according to the Paris Agreement.
Paris Agreement
A global treaty adopted in 2015 during COP21 with the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, aiming not to exceed 1.5°C. It sets national emission-reduction targets and requires regular updates of these commitments (NDCs). It remains the main legal and political framework of international climate governance.
Adaptation
The process of adjusting natural and human systems to the current and expected effects of climate change, reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening resilience. It includes measures such as protecting vulnerable communities, sustainable water management, and adapting agriculture to new climate regimes.
Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
Two complementary strategies: mitigation seeks to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, while adaptation prepares societies and ecosystems for ongoing impacts. One cannot replace the other — both are essential.
Action Agenda
A platform created to connect commitments from governments, companies, and organizations to the implementation of concrete mitigation and adaptation measures.
AOSIS (Alliance of Small Island States)
A coalition of low-lying island and coastal countries that are highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and extreme climate events. It advocates for greater global ambition in emission-reduction goals.
Article 6
A section of the Paris Agreement establishing the rules for international cooperation and the creation of a global carbon market, enabling the trading of emission credits.
Baku to Belém Roadmap
The transition framework between COP29 and COP30, linking climate-finance targets set in Baku (2024) to those of Belém (2025). It foresees mobilizing up to US $1.3 trillion per year by 2035.
Global Stocktake (GST)
A five-yearly assessment of collective progress in implementing the Paris Agreement. The first GST took place at COP28, and its results inform new climate goals.
Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)
Financial institutions that support developing countries in designing policies and projects aimed at climate-change mitigation and adaptation.
Bioeconomy
A sustainable development model that uses renewable biological resources to generate energy, products, and services. It combines technological innovation, environmental conservation, and biodiversity valorization while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. In the Amazon, it represents the convergence of economy, forest, and future.
Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs)
Documents submitted by countries every two years under the Paris Agreement, detailing their emissions and climate policies. They enhance transparency and allow global progress to be compared.
Cancún Adaptation Framework (CAF)
An instrument established at COP16 (2010) to strengthen adaptation actions by providing technical and financial support to developing countries.
High-Level Climate Champion (HLCC)
A representative appointed by the COP host country to coordinate action among governments, the private sector, and civil society. Serves as a catalyst for commitments and a spokesperson for non-governmental initiatives.
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO₂e)
A measurement unit that converts various greenhouse gases into a common base — carbon dioxide — according to their global-warming potential.
Carbon Offset
A mechanism allowing emissions to be neutralized through investments in projects that reduce or capture greenhouse gases, such as reforestation or sustainable land management.
Seville Commitment
An initiative to make the global financial system more accessible and sustainability-oriented by reducing debt burdens and encouraging green investments.
UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
An international treaty adopted in 1992 during the Rio Earth Summit that underpins all subsequent climate negotiations. It brings together 198 signatories and coordinates global efforts to stabilize greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
COP (Conference of the Parties)
The annual meeting of countries that are signatories to the UNFCCC, where global measures to tackle climate change are negotiated. COP30 in Belém is the first ever to be held in Amazonian territory.
Low-Carbon Economy
A growth model that seeks to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions through clean energy, innovation, and efficient resource use.
Phase-out
The planned and gradual elimination of fossil-fuel use, replaced by renewable energy sources.
Emissions
The release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere through human activities such as transport, industry, and deforestation.
Net Zero Emissions
A balance in which the amount of greenhouse gases emitted equals the amount removed from the atmosphere, by natural or technological means.
Scopes 1, 2 and 3
Categories used to measure corporate emissions:
- Scope 1 – direct emissions;
- Scope 2 – indirect emissions from energy use;
- Scope 3 – indirect emissions throughout the value chain.
Climate Finance
Public and private resources allocated to mitigation and adaptation efforts, particularly in developing countries. It is one of the pillars of international negotiations and a central theme of COP30.
Loss and Damage Fund
A financial mechanism created to assist countries affected by extreme climate events, recognizing that some impacts cannot be prevented or compensated by other means.
Green Climate Fund (GCF)
An international fund established at COP16 to support mitigation and adaptation projects in developing countries.
Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, driving global warming. The main ones are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)
A commitment established under Article 7 of the Paris Agreement to strengthen countries’ resilience and reduce vulnerabilities to climate impacts.
Climate Governance
The set of policies, institutions, and mechanisms that coordinate global and national action on mitigation, adaptation, and climate finance.
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
The UN’s main scientific body on climate change, created in 1988. It produces periodic reports summarizing current knowledge and guiding political decisions.
IPLCs (Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities)
Groups living in traditional territories with direct relationships to nature. They safeguard much of the world’s biodiversity and play a vital role in environmental preservation.
JTWP (Just Transition Work Programme)
A set of policies and strategies supporting countries and workers in the shift toward low-emission economies, ensuring social inclusion and green-job creation.
Paris Rulebook
A set of detailed guidelines operationalizing the Paris Agreement, defining how countries should measure and report their goals.
Long-Term Strategy (LTS)
A document in which each country outlines its plan for decarbonization by mid-century, aligned with the global net-zero goal.
LULUCF (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry)
A category encompassing agricultural, forestry, and land-management activities that are key to calculating greenhouse-gas emissions and removals.
Carbon Market
A system for buying and selling credits corresponding to the reduction of one tonne of CO₂. Markets may be voluntary or regulated. Brazil established its **Brazilian Emissions Trading System (SBCE)** in 2024, which will feature prominently at COP30.
Mitigation
Actions that reduce or avoid greenhouse-gas emissions, such as renewable-energy use, reforestation, and energy efficiency.
NAPs (National Adaptation Plans)
National plans that guide policies and investments in adaptation, strengthening each country’s climate resilience.
NCQG (New Collective Quantified Goal)
A new global financial target under discussion at COPs to support developing countries in their climate transition.
NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution)
Voluntary commitments each country submits under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
Net Zero
The balance between emissions and removals of greenhouse gases, targeted globally for 2050.
ACTO (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization)
An entity bringing together eight Amazonian countries to promote sustainable development and forest conservation.
Party
The official designation for a country or bloc that is a signatory to the UNFCCC and participates in COPs.
Leticia Pact
An agreement signed in 2019 by Amazonian countries to strengthen cooperation on forest protection and combat deforestation.
Loss and Damage
A term referring to climate impacts that cannot be avoided, even with mitigation and adaptation — such as extreme droughts or ecosystem loss.
National Climate Plan
Brazil’s strategy for mitigation and adaptation, created in 2008 and updated for COP30, integrating energy, agriculture, and environmental-conservation programmes.
COP Presidency
The country responsible for leading negotiations at each conference, mediating interests and seeking consensus among Parties.
Kyoto Protocol
An agreement adopted in 1997 that established emission-reduction targets for developed countries. It was largely superseded by the Paris Agreement.
REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)
A mechanism providing financial rewards to countries that reduce deforestation and promote sustainable forest management, generating economic and climate benefits.
Climate Resilience
The capacity of natural and human systems to withstand and recover from extreme climate events and environmental transformations.
NbS (Nature-based Solutions)
Actions that use natural processes — such as ecosystem restoration and regenerative agriculture — to address environmental and social challenges while promoting sustainable development and well-being.
Sustainable Taxonomy
A classification system defining which economic activities are environmentally sustainable. In Brazil, the Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy (TSB) guides investment toward low-carbon sectors and prevents greenwashing.
Just Energy Transition
The transformation of energy systems by replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources in an inclusive and socially responsible manner.
UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
The international framework underpinning COPs and climate agreements, guiding global cooperation to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
Download here the COP30 Glossary (in Portuguese and English)
