'Spirit of Belém' Evokes Implementation of Climate Solutions

At a press conference in Germany, the COP30 President highlights the collective decisions taken during the conference; "We believe in science, and we need to act faster"

"It is very important that COPs show the world that we can already do many things and that we have the mandate to do so. We believe very strongly in science and, unfortunately, we have much less time to act than we thought — and we need to do more, and more quickly."

These words, spoken by COP30 President Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, capture the "spirit of Belém" — a collective feeling that has emerged following the conference held in the capital of the Brazilian state of Pará last November. Lago spoke to journalists on Tuesday (16/6) in Bonn, Germany, where the 64th session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place.

"Most people who were at COP30 say that it has achieved a balance, with increased confidence in the process at all levels: in the formal negotiations between countries, which are the essence of COPs, but also with the Action Agenda being well received, with the strong purpose and a structure as an implementation instrument of the Global Stocktake."

Through the end of this week, countries are gathering in Germany to negotiate key items for the continuity of climate action, including climate finance, the just transition, and the next Global Stocktake, among others. SB64 takes place between COP30 and the next Climate Conference, to be hosted in Antalya, Türkiye.

"We are migrating from COPs concentrated on negotiations to COPs concentrated on implementation. One does not reduce the other, absolutely not, but we have 30 years of accumulated decisions — and, under the Paris Agreement, ten years," the Ambassador said. "The spirit, therefore, is one of transition: creating something in the international law on climate change and using it to fight climate change."

Also on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV referenced the climate urgency and the Belém conference in a video recorded for the 10th Austrian World Summit. "It is not merely desirable but genuinely possible that the progress of COP30 can be followed up with a just transition towards societies in which the common good takes precedence over profit, and economic models are rooted in solidarity and human dignity".