The best hope for COP30?

The June climate negotiations in Bonn and the London Climate Action Week have now wrapped up. As I reflect on the conversations of the past two weeks, I am left with a sense of hope: that by putting integrity at the centre of the next cycle of climate policymaking, we can finally unlock real implementation. There is growing momentum around the Global Ethical Stocktake (GES), an effort to bring moral clarity and people’s lived experiences into climate decision-making.

At Transparency International, we have long argued that without transparency and strong safeguards against undue influence, even the best-intentioned climate action can be undermined behind closed doors. That risk is especially pressing as we look ahead to COP30 in Belém, Brazil - what many are calling the "Implementation COP".

In short, it’s a series of regional dialogues and global discussions that will feed into COP30. It aims to complement the technical Global Stocktake with a values-based process that elevates ethics, justice, and equity.

It’s a powerful concept. Conceived by Marina Silva and jointly led by Brazil’s COP Presidency and the UN Secretary-General, the GES brings together voices from Indigenous and local communities, artists, scientists, youth, and many others. As someone working on climate integrity, I welcome this effort to place justice and ethical reflection at the heart of the climate response.

At the London dialogue, I was impressed by the participants’ contributions, as they consistently called for stronger demonstrations of justice and accountability. If we are serious about these goals, now is the time to transform concepts into concrete steps that close integrity gaps and rebuild credibility and trust.

The Bonn talks made it clear that while urgency is growing, frustration dominated. Across key areas, ambition was undercut by vague commitments and procedural gridlock.

Take climate finance: there was no breakthrough on the new collective quantified goal. Developed countries dodged clear targets, while vulnerable nations like Pakistan demanded justice and real support. This failure to commit to fair financing risks leaving the most affected behind.

Negotiations on carbon markets under Article 6 also stalled, with no agreement on transparency or safeguards. Even though most rules are in place, serious concerns remain. Past experience shows real risks of adverse environmental and social impacts if safeguards are weak. Civil society called for robust accountability mechanisms and protection of Indigenous rights, but these demands went unanswered.

Still, there was progress and faith in multilateralism. Discussions on Just Transition advanced, and youth made a powerful push for climate education and inclusion through Action for Climate Empowerment. Their message was clear: participation must be meaningful, not symbolic.

At Bonn, our team presented new research from Transparency International, Behind the Badge, warning of the growing risks from opaque fossil fuel lobbying in UN climate talks. At COP29, at least 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists attended - nearly 70 per cent with government-issued badges, granting privileged access that raises red flags for any accountable process, let alone one meant to address a climate emergency.

Among the most troubling findings, nearly half of the delegates failed to clearly disclose their institutional affiliation.

It is difficult to argue that this level of embedded influence reflects the spirit of the GES and what global climate policy-making should look like. It does exactly the opposite: eroding trust, weakening ambition, and silencing the very communities the GES seeks to support.

I had the opportunity to speak with members of the Brazilian COP30 team in Bonn and London, and I was encouraged by their openness and willingness to raise the bar on transparency, accountability, and integrity. These conversations matter; they mark a starting point for real accountability in the process ahead.

There is no good reason not to put the common good first. Yet, when we talk about concrete integrity measures, like excluding fossil fuel lobbyists from national delegations or disclosing conflicts of interest, we often encounter hesitation.

This is exactly the kind of leadership moment Brazil should seize.

As COP30 host and initiator of the GES, Brazil has a unique opportunity and responsibility to demonstrate what ethical climate leadership truly looks like.

To ensure COP30 is both credible and ambitious, Transparency International and other organisations urge the Brazilian Presidency and the UNFCCC to:

• Define and apply clear conflict of interest rules to create an Accountability Framework across UNFCCC processes, recognising that the presence of fossil fuel and other high polluting industries in national delegations conflicts with the Paris Agreement’s goals.
• Mandate transparent, searchable disclosure of affiliations for all COP participants.
• Create an independent integrity advisory group to monitor conduct and apply sanctions.
• Declare the COP30 Presidency’s independence from fossil fuel and high-polluting industries by adopting a conflict-of-interest policy for the Presidency’s team, alongside transparency standards for lobbying meetings, contracts, and partnerships.

These are not radical asks. They are essential integrity standards for a climate process that must earn public trust.

The Global Ethical Stocktake speaks powerfully about justice, listening, and shared responsibility. But without concrete measures, these remain slogans. As we approach COP30, we must ask: Who is truly being heard, and who is shaping the outcomes?

Integrity isn’t a detail to be worked out later. It must be the foundation of ambition, fairness, and implementation. If Brazil wants COP30 to be remembered as the implementation COP, it must also be remembered as the Integrity COP.

I hope what we saw between the Rhine and the Thames is only the beginning of our journey to Guamá and the Amazon.