Climate talks end — but what actually happened?

The UN-backed climate conference (COP30) has wrapped in Belém, Brazil — and its final hours showed why the world came to the doorstep of the Amazon. Inside the pavilions, negotiators pushed through tense, late-night sessions. Outside, Indigenous leaders and civil society kept the pressure on, calling for decisions that match the scale of the climate crisis.

Here’s how the week unfolded and why the Amazon rainforest was at the center of every conversation:

1. Big-picture outcomes

Even before the final gavel, one thing was clear: COP30 changed the conversation. Hosting the summit in the Amazon reframed global climate action around a simple truth — protecting nature is not optional; it is foundational.

“Leaders should take COP30 as a clear signal that environmental diplomacy remains essential,” said Lina Barrera, Conservation International’s climate policy lead. “As negotiators worked to spur action that will mitigate future warming, they took a meaningful step to address its immediate impacts, with parties calling to triple finance for climate adaptation by 2035. This outcome recognizes the gravity of this moment.”

“Our mutirão — this Brazilian spirit of collectivity, of coming together — must carry beyond the confines of COP30, into board rooms, government buildings and communities around the world. Momentum to solve our cascading crises is building — from the forests of Brazil to the savannas of Tanzania, the islands of Indonesia to the mountains of Cambodia.” Watch more from Barrera below, as she takes us through the major outcomes:

2. Nature on the main stage

Hosting COP30 in the Amazon reshaped the tone of nearly every conversation. Forests weren’t treated as a side issue — they were the backdrop, the headline and the biggest opportunity on the table.

In the clip below, you’ll hear directly from an Indigenous creator who shared her perspective on what this COP meant for her community — and why decisions made in Belém reverberate far beyond the summit halls.

3. Oceans in the climate fight

The Amazon wasn’t the only ecosystem shaping the agenda at COP30. The ocean is one of humanity’s most powerful defenses against global warming — absorbing carbon, regulating climate and sustaining the millions of people who depend on coastal ecosystems.

In the clip below, ocean expert Natali Piccolo explains how Conservation International brought together 300 members to deliver a letter to the COP president, urging Brazil to fully integrate climate solutions for both land and sea into its national plan.

4. Forest finance took a step forward

A major storyline at COP30 was a new generation of ideas to fund standing forests, including the Tropical Forest Forever Facility — a long-term mechanism designed to pay countries to keep forests intact.

The concept gained traction throughout the week and has now been endorsed by 53 countries with US$ 6.7 billion in pledged finance to support tropical forest conservation. It offers what forest nations have long asked for: predictable and permanent forest finance.

“Crucially, the mechanism ensures that at least 20 percent of those funds go directly to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. These are the people who have protected places like the Amazon for centuries and are among the best at keeping nature intact,” said Mauricio Bianco, who leads Conservation International’s Brazil program.

5. Protecting the Amazon rainforest

A central question at COP30 was how the world will pay to keep forests including the Amazon standing — and how to make sure that funding reaches the people protecting them. One of the most closely watched issues was Article 6.4, the part of the Paris Agreement that sets the rules for global carbon markets. While progress was made, uncertainty around how nature fits into these markets continues to slow the flow of finance to ecosystems, communities and local livelihoods.

In the video below, Rachel Biderman, Conservation International’s Americas lead, breaks down why strong, science-based rules help channel funding to the Amazon: