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Ecological debt, carbon casinos, and tied aid were just some of the controversial subjects that came up at COP30 yesterday. Another development? An update on who will host what’s been dubbed the African COP in 2027.
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All tied up
It was still hot, humid, and drenched at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference yesterday — it is the Amazon after all — but COP30 was also heating up with high-profile appearances, recriminations, security breaches, side events, and some buzzy development nuggets.
We start off with the race to host the “African COP” in 2027. An official who asked to remain anonymous tells my colleague Ayenat Mersie that it was a contest between Ethiopia and Nigeria, with Addis Ababa emerging as the victor.
Reuters first reported on Monday that Ethiopia confirmed at a COP30 plenary session that it had been endorsed by fellow African nations to hold the 2027 conference.
No formal word yet, however, on the selection — and the announcement likely won’t be made until the host country for COP31 is revealed. Australia is thought to be beating Turkey for that title.
Meanwhile, my colleague Jesse Chase-Lubitz ran into Germany’s development minister, Reem Alabali Radovan, who told her that the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, or BMZ, “will be prioritizing German and European industry in future development projects.” She said the BMZ still needs to work with the German Ministry for Economic Affairs, but that the goal is to bring projects to German companies.
That’s a controversial proposition because many advocates say it’s a self-interested way of doing development that ultimately costs more.
For example, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development recommends that projects put up for tenders be “untied” — meaning companies in any country can bid on them. This helps them find the best fit for the project. OECD data show that aid tied to a specific country leads to a 15% to 30% increase in the cost of goods and services.
Those stats haven’t seemed to sway Alabali Radovan. “Climate policy is an opportunity — a factor for economic development,” she told Jesse.
Read: COP30 reporters’ notebook — Day 2
ICYMI: The German development ministry's survival plan (Pro)
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Not so civil
“We who have created an ecological debt have also saddled the poorest in the world with a financial debt.”
— Alistair Dutton, secretary general, Caritas InternationalisAn event hosted by Caritas Internationalis explored the idea of ecological debt. The concept flips the narrative by positing that rich countries accumulated ecological debt to industrialize and fuel their development, and now the bill is coming due.
Whether they pay their bill remains to be seen, but Jesse tells me to expect a lot more talk about debt — and debt reform — in the coming days.
Civil society protest groups also had plenty to say about carbon markets, Devex contributing reporter Cheena Kapoor tells me.
Their gripe? That carbon markets let rich countries and corporations keep polluting — guilt-free — by buying cheap offsets from projects in the global south that rarely deliver real emission cuts or community benefits.
Tyrone Scott of War on Want put it bluntly during his speech at the protest: “The UNFCCC has become a casino where the global north and polluting corporations gamble with our future — trading access to forests, rivers, and communities for profit. While they spin the wheel on carbon markets, we’re demanding real climate solutions, led by the people and demanding justice for front-line communities across the global south. We will no longer sit by while world leaders put profits before people and planet.”
Negotiations over negotiations
Sometimes negotiators haggle as much over what they should talk about as they do over the actual substance of those talks. Ayenat writes that after a tense first day dominated by procedural battles, countries at COP30 finally agreed on an agenda — just barely. Alden Meyer, senior associate at E3G, described it to the press on Tuesday as “progress in the sense that the presidency was able to convince parties not to have a fight on the agenda for this meeting.”
He said informal consultations are now underway on issues that didn’t make it onto the official list, including “responding to the NDC [Nationally Determined Contributions] ambition gap, scaling up finance, provision of finance by developed countries, dealing with unilateral measures and trade issues, and increasing transparency in reporting in this process.”
The Brazilian presidency is expected to provide an update today on the first three days of those discussions, which could help clarify whether — and how — these topics will feed into the formal negotiations still unfolding.
Newsom on the block
A U.S. politician made waves yesterday at COP30. No, U.S. President Donald Trump didn’t suddenly embrace the climate agenda and show up in Brazil. One of his political nemeses, however — California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom — attracted plenty of attention.
He made the rounds at several pavilions, including Germany’s, where he signed a joint statement on climate and energy cooperation with the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. The German state secretary in the environment ministry, Jochen Flasbarth, touted the Germany-California relationship, saying they have “stood side by side for years when it comes to an understanding of climate action as a necessary driver of innovation.” As of 2024, California’s economy is the fourth-largest in the world, surpassing other countries.
Later in the evening, Newsom said he came to COP30 from the U.S. in a “state of humility.”
“California is a stable and reliable partner,” he said. “And I am here because I don’t want the United States of America to be a footnote at this conference.”
ICYMI: US federal officials to skip COP30 as local leaders vow to fill the gap
Where’s the beef? All over, actually
While the blue zone hums with negotiations and side events, Devex Executive Editor Kate Warren tells me that some of the buzziest moments are happening elsewhere.
The Goals House team has given a once-faded waterfront hotel in Belém a full makeover, transforming it into their signature blend of swanky-meets-sustainable style. Custom cushions, matching umbrellas, and courtyard cocktails drew the climate crowd for closed-door sessions. During one lunch event, the organizer urged attendees to load up on the local, mostly vegetarian cuisine before heading back to the blue zone — advice that was met with knowing laughter.
Why? Because even though a large number of climate advocates are vegetarians or vegans, finding anything plant-based at the COP30 venue has turned into a full-blown scavenger hunt, Cheena observed. Nonvegetarian options dominate every corner, while the few vegan stalls serve up overpriced morsels — when they haven’t run out entirely. By lunchtime on Day 1, the tofu had tapped out.
Desperate delegates were swapping coordinates on WhatsApp like survivalists, trading tips on where to score a meatless meal. For most vegans, the day’s sustenance came down to a steady drip of free black coffee from sympathetic pavilions.
All this at a summit that’s supposed to be tackling climate change — even though livestock farming is one of the planet’s top polluters, driving emissions, deforestation, and water contamination. Perhaps it’s no coincidence: Brazil, for all its climate accolades, is the world’s largest meat exporter.
That’s a wrap
Protests outside the COP venue yesterday turned chaotic. According to Reuters, demonstrators carrying batons forced their way into the site, clashing with security at the entrance before the area was barricaded with tables.
Things were calm in the main area where Ayenat was writing entries for our reporter’s notebook — until about 8:30 p.m., when security entered and said there had been a breach. They sealed off the main entrance and exit, directing everyone to leave through another route. Outside, a drone buzzed overhead, and crowds milled around in slight confusion. Federal police SUVs stood parked, with their lights flashing, and officers in camouflage carrying large guns stood guard over the gates.
Folks got the not-so-subtle message and dispersed.
Catch up on Day 1 of COP30: Reporters’ notebook
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In other news
The U.K. has cut its funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 15%, pledging £850 million ($1.14 billion) for 2026-2028. [The Guardian]
Taliban authorities in Afghanistan’s Herat province have reportedly ordered women to wear a burka — an all-covering dress — to enter public health facilities, prompting warnings from Médecins Sans Frontières that the new rule is deterring women from seeking urgent care. [BBC]
UNICEF says Israel is blocking the entry of essential supplies into Gaza, including 1.6 million syringes and nearly one million bottles of infant formula. [Reuters]
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About the author
Anna Gawel
Anna Gawel is the Managing Editor of Devex. She previously worked as the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, the flagship publication of D.C.’s diplomatic community. She’s had hundreds of articles published on world affairs, U.S. foreign policy, politics, security, trade, travel and the arts on topics ranging from the impact of State Department budget cuts to Caribbean efforts to fight climate change. She was also a broadcast producer and digital editor at WTOP News and host of the Global 360 podcast. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
