COP30 Update – November 14

COP30 Continues  

On the fifth day of COP30 in Belém, the summit moved into a more substantive phase, as the areas of alignment and tension across the negotiations came into sharper focus. One of the day’s headline outcomes was the launch of the Belém Declaration on Green Industrialization, backed by more than 35 countries and positioning clean industry, innovation, and jobs at the center of a new development-focused climate coalition. Across the venue, discussions on adaptation, mitigation, and finance intensified as ministerial pairs were appointed to drive progress on each track. Fault lines also came into clearer view: Indigenous groups mobilized to demand stronger inclusion and protection of rights, while several delegations cautioned that movement on finance and ambition must accelerate if COP30 is to deliver a credible outcome. 

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Photo credit: Super Pollutant Action Alliance, Global Methane Hub, Clean Air Fund

Super Pollutants at COP30  

As its fifth day, momentum at COP30 around super pollutants continued to build, with a strong focus on national leadership, implementation pathways, and practical cooperation across sectors. The day brought forward a new wave of initiatives centered on country delivery, political leadership, and the infrastructure needed to turn super pollutant ambition into measurable results.

The day began with the official launch of the Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator, a flagship CCAC initiative announced earlier in the week at the Methane and Other Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases Summit. CCAC Co-Chairs Katie White, UK Climate Minister, and Adalberto Maluf, Brazil’s National Secretary for Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality, opened the session by stressing the initiative’s role in accelerating coordinated action to deliver deep reductions in super pollutant emissions.

Representatives from the inaugural cohort, including Brazil, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nigeria, and South Africa outlined their national priorities and early steps toward integrated super pollutant strategies. The panel discussion, moderated by Eamon Ryan, CCAC High-Level Advocate and former Environment Minister of Ireland, highlighted how the Accelerator draws from the Montreal Protocol model, establishing dedicated national Super Pollutant Units and enabling multi-year planning. The initiative launched with a $USD 25 million support package to initial recipients, and aims to scale to 30 countries by 2030, mobilizing 150 million dollars while building a robust pipeline of finance-ready projects across key emitting sectors. 

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Photo credit: Super Pollutant Action Alliance, Global Methane Hub, Clean Air Fund

A second high-level event, titled “Methane as the Emergency Brake on Warming: Global Momentum, Australian Leadership,” organized by The Sunrise Project at the Australian Pavilion, underlined the centrality of methane to climate justice and near-term warming reduction. Experts from Australia, China, the Pacific, the Global Methane Hub, as well as Martina Otto, Head of the CCAC Secretariat, highlighted the opportunities and responsibilities for a potential Australia and Pacific COP31 Presidency, noting the need for stronger methane policy frameworks at home and expanded support for regional cooperation. Speakers also previewed insights from the forthcoming Global Methane Status Report, underscoring that while progress is emerging, global efforts are still not on track to meet the Global Methane Pledge target.

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Photo credit: Super Pollutant Action Alliance, Global Methane Hub, Clean Air Fund

Later in the day, implementation took center stage at “From Pledges to Progress: Implementing the Global Methane Pledge with Proven Solutions,” co-organized by the World Biogas Association, the International Solid Waste Association, CEMDA, and the Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants. The event showcased the breadth of mature, scalable waste-sector mitigation solutions including anaerobic digestion, biogas, composting, landfill mitigation, and waste-to-energy. Presentations from WBA, GIZ, CEWEP, and CEMDA demonstrated the potential of these technologies to meet methane targets while advancing circularity, improving air quality, and building resilient local economies. Speakers stressed that unlocking this potential requires stronger national and subnational coordination, clearer regulatory frameworks, and expanded finance in a sector that has historically struggled to attract investment.

Momentum continued at the Super Pollutant Pavilion with a session on Super Pollutant Control in Off-Road Machinery. The event, organized by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the CCAC, C40 Cities, and the Government of Norway, followed a bilateral meeting between CCAC High-Level Advocate Eamon Ryan and Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. The session highlighted the rapid and cost-effective mitigation potential in non-road mobile machinery, a sector responsible for more than two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year, driven heavily by black carbon and methane from diesel-powered construction and agricultural equipment. ICCT presented new analysis on global market trends and emerging zero-emission technologies, while Minister Eriksen officially announced a new Strategic Collaboration on Non-Road Mobile Machinery involving CCAC, ICCT, C40, Norway, and the City of Oslo. 

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Photo credit: Eamon Ryan

A panel discussion featuring Eamon Ryan, Minister Eriksen, Mark Preston Aragonès of Bellona Europa, and Sha Fu of Energy Foundation China explored pathways to accelerate the transition to low- and zero-emission machinery. Speakers emphasized that electrification of construction and mining equipment is already advancing in several markets and can deliver immediate air-quality benefits while cutting short-lived climate pollutants. Discussions underscored the importance of international cooperation to build market demand, align regulatory approaches, mobilize finance, and ensure that emerging technologies become accessible and affordable across regions.

Across these events, a consistent message emerged: countries, cities, and other partners are shifting from fragmented initiatives to coordinated national programs, from political commitment to the architectures of delivery, and from pilots to scalable, finance-ready pathways. With the Global Methane Status Report set to launch on November 17, today’s events demonstrated that the tools needed for rapid, near-term progress are now firmly in motion and that cutting super pollutants remains among the most decisive levers to keep 1.5C within reach.

In Case You Missed It  

Check out the latest broadcast from “We Don’t Have Time”, organized by Wellcome Trust and featuring CCAC High-Level Advocate Eamon Ryan, CEO of Clean Air Fund Jane Burston, and Director of IGSD’s India Program Zerin Osho, on the importance of integrated action on climate and clean air, and the co-benefits of tackling super pollutants.