Beyond the Headlines at COP30
Did anything meaningful take place at UN’s annual climate summit?
3 December 2025
With Blue Zone access, SSG Senior Consultants Rodrigo Dittborn and Carlos Urriola-Cuevas had a front row seat to what official national delegations were showcasing.
COP30—the UN’s annual climate summit—came to a close in November amid high political tensions as delegates stayed overtime to make a last-ditch deal that failed to promise action anywhere near the scale needed to address the climate crisis.
But much goes on beyond the headlines at COP. Over 50,000 people descended on Belem over two weeks and, outside the negotiating room, attendees shared and debated climate action approaches from around the world.
50,000
people in attendance
193
countries sent representatives
“It’s where the whole world comes together to share what’s happening,” explains SSG Senior Consultant Carlos Urriola-Cuevas, who attended the first week of the summit alongside Senior Consultant Rodrigo Dittborn. With Blue Zone access, they had a front row seat to what official national delegations were showcasing.
“COP30 was about implementation, and you could really see that in different pavillions packed with events describing how local governments were making a big effort in doing climate action,” says Rodrigo, who showcased SSG’s climate-adaptation-planning approach in the Chilean Pavillion. Meanwhile, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean presented SSG’s work supporting countries to estimate the social price of carbon at the Canadian Pavilion.
Rodrigo and Carlos also reported that artificial intelligence seemed to be everywhere, though most AI initiatives related to climate policy and implementation are in early stages and at the pilot level. The pair attended sessions focused on this emerging field to explore how SSG might use it to enhance our work. They also met our partners at Open Earth, who we are working with on a CORFO funded project aimed at leveraging AI to expand our MEED platform.
At the same time, the events highlighted significant gaps in action. Carlos explains that, for many countries with national commitments, “a significant challenge is persuading sectoral ministries and subnational governments to integrate climate change into their own plans, budgets, and investments.” “For instance, only 30% of Brazil’s 5,000 municipalities have climate action plans.
Powerful Indigenous-led protests outside the venue also highlighted gaps in government responses to the climate crisis, as well as how many communities still lack access to the negotiation process. With the summit set on the edge of the Amazon, Carlos noted “the tension between conservation and development felt especially sharp.”
About the Authors
Rodrigo (he/him) develops engagement strategies and facilitates workshops for climate action plans as a member of SSG’s engagement team. He is passionate about public policy design and translating complex science problems and solutions into common language for citizens and decision makers, balancing politics, communication, and objective data. Rodrigo also
Carlos Urriola Cuevas (he/him/el) is a senior consultant who emphasizes taking action on climate mitigation and adaptation projects. A continuous learner, Carlos has experience in public administration, infrastructure, investment systems, strategic planning, and political economy, in addition to being an engineer.
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