As COP30 wrapped up in Belem, G20 Leaders stepped up this weekend to provide a strong endorsement of the Paris Agreement and a commitment to remain ambitious to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees.
- The message could not have been clearer that climate action, as well as resilience to the impacts of climate change, are a key priority.
- Their Leaders’ Declaration is on behalf of all who attended the Johannesburg meeting, this does not include the United States of America, which was absent, despite holding next year’s G20 Presidency. It is likely we will see a sharp change of tone and agenda next year.
- However, the 2025 statement aims to send a message of agenda continuity over multiple years, celebrating multiple ongoing G20 workstreams including some agendas created in previous years.
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The Declaration reaffirms commitment to Paris and the 1.5C warming goal in Para 90, and to 2.1c in para 94:
- P90: “Mindful of our leadership role, we reaffirm our steadfast commitments, in pursuit of the objective of UNFCCC, to tackle climate change by strengthening the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement…”
- P90: “We reaffirm the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above 23 of 30 G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders’ Declaration G20 South Africa 2025 | Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability preindustrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change”
- P94: “We recognise the need for increased global investments to meet our climate goals of the Paris Agreement and to rapidly and substantially scale up investment and climate finance from billions to trillions globally from all sources. In this regard, it is essential to align all relevant financial flows with these objectives while scaling up finance, capacity building and technology transfer on voluntary and mutually agreed terms, taking into account the priorities and needs of developing countries.”
Transitioning away from fossil fuels was the big topic of discussion at COP30 in Belém. Lula promised to take the proposal for a Roadmap to the G20 following difficulties to secure consensus in Belem. The Leaders’ Declaration does not address this directly but takes a broad approach centering on the needs of developing countries for sustainable industrialisation and clean sustainable energy availability. It also firmly highlights the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- P95: “We recognise the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5 C pathways and call on members to contribute to the global efforts against climate change…”
G20 Leaders continued their year-long commitment to address debt distress in developing countries. They also supported broader reforms to international financial architecture including continuation of key reform agendas under the G20. However, they did not reference the recent Circle of Finance Ministers’ report or the linked Baku to Belem Roadmap and did not all agree on the importance of addressing climate-related financial risks.
The statement also includes a prominent focus on improving the capacity and capability of vulnerable nations to plan and respond to natural disasters that will be exacerbated by climate change. As well as being intricately entwined with the need to take action on debt distress, there is specific acknowledgement of the need to increase support for the development of early warning systems and emphasis placed on the implementation of the UN’s ‘Early Warning Systems for All’ initiative.
While not explicitly addressing cuts in international development, the statement does acknowledge the continued need for concessional support for developing countries and commits to using a wide range of tools to help bridge the sustainable financing gap, including through continued reforms to climate funds, international financial institutions and the private sector.
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Kate Levick, Associate Director for Finance & Resilience, E3G, said:
“The G20 Declaration, adopted alongside COP30, shows an intent by members of the G20 to continue to push on key areas of finance reform for climate through coming years, including resolving the barriers to investment that are created by debt distress. To make rapid progress on this agenda in 2026 will require collaboration across multiple coalitions and dialogues, building on the work in 2025 of the Circle of Finance Ministers.”
“G20 Leaders have prioritised climate change adaptation through 2025 under the South African Presidency, as part of a broader agenda of resilience to natural disasters and catastrophes. Meanwhile parallel developments in Belem showed increased ambition on adaptation finance. Resilience was a key topic under the last US G20 Presidency and this year’s progress takes forward momentum to the next one in 2026.”
Cosima Cassel, Programme Lead, Climate Diplomacy & Geopolitics, E3G, said:
“The outcomes this weekend from COP30 and the Johannesburg G20 Summit show that, despite geopolitical tensions, most major emitters still recognise their shared climate responsibility. Both meetings put resilience at the forefront and reaffirmed commitment to the Paris goal. Taken together, they signal that multilateral cooperation on climate is still alive.”
“This ambition now needs follow through, particularly as next year’s G20 may not apply the same level of pressure. In 2026, the COP31 Presidency, the BRICS process and other key forums will need to keep climate at the top of the agenda to ensure the pledges made in South Africa and Brazil do not remain aspiration but are matched by action and implementation.”
Rob Moore, Associate Director, Public Banks & Development, E3G, said:
“The statement is a welcome show of strength that the vast majority of the G20 are committed to tackling climate change and the sustainable development agenda at the highest level. That’s re-assuring but not enough. We hope that leaders now follow through on these words by delivering the solutions we know they have available to them for transforming the international financial architecture to better serve people and planet.”
“Combined with the outcome to triple adaptation finance made at COP30, the focus on finding financial solutions for both resilience building and accelerating the transition shows that there remains a commitment to the role of international support in driving sustainable development. How this evolves over the next year will be crucial in making sure we actually drive real world outcomes to move people out of poverty, reduce climate risks and ensure a sustainable future.”
Available for comment
Kate Levick (EN), E3G Associate Director (International and UK sustainable finance, public and private sector finance, financial initiatives, climate disclosure, transition planning, financial regulation) m: +44 (0) 7860 861225 | kate.levick@e3g.org
Cosima Cassel (EN, SP, DE) E3G Programme Lead Multilateral Venues, (Climate Diplomacy & Geopolitics, COP30) m: +49 (0) 160 339 0883 | Cosima.cassel@e3g.org
Rob Moore (EN), E3G Associate Director, (MDBs/DFIs, financial architecture reform, climate finance geopolitics) | rob.moore@e3g.org
Notes to Editors
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