Assunção Cristas and Catarina Pinto Correia, Head Partners of the Environment & Climate practice, published an article in Expresso in which they analyse the main outcomes of this year's COP30 in Belém, highlighting the importance of this conference as a turning point for the climate implementation agenda.

In the article, the authors note that this COP was 'grounded in reality', bringing essential issues such as biodiversity, tropical forests and the rights of indigenous peoples to the centre of the debate, while underscoring the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of climate measures.

The political agreement approved — the Mutirão Global, signed by nearly 200 countries — reflects this ambition by establishing a practical framework for progress on mitigation, adaptation, finance and transparency throughout the critical decade now beginning.

VdA’s Partners also highlight two key takeaways: greater alignment between negotiation and implementation, supported by new instruments for preparing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs); and the absence of a global roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, despite the support of more than 80 countries — prompting Brazil to continue this work, as well as efforts related to combating deforestation.

They also emphasise the progress achieved in mitigation and adaptation, including the launch of initiatives such as the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Belém Mission for 1.5°C, the adoption of 59 voluntary indicators to assess vulnerability and resilience, and the creation of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), which now includes around 63 countries, Portugal among them. The authors further note that 122 countries submitted new NDCs, with Portugal joining the Blue NDC initiative, strengthening the link between ocean and climate.

Assunção Cristas and Catarina Pinto Correia conclude that, despite the progress made, the main challenge now lies in effective implementation, reminding us that the success of the climate agenda depends on collective commitment and that 'execution is also in our hands'.

• Read the full article here.