The OECD supported the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, helping to drive progress through its technical analysis, the active participation of senior OECD officials in COP30 and related events as well as through the OECD COP30 Virtual Pavilion.
The OECD at the UNFCCC Climate COPs
As an observer organisation to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the OECD supports global climate action and progress at the annual UN climate change conferences – the Conference of the Parties (COPs) - through its evidence-based analysis, policy insights and by providing a platform for multilateral co-operation and dialogue.
Spotlight on the OECD at COP30, 10-21 November 2025 | Online and in Belém
Key areas of focus for the OECD at this year’s COP
Joint OECD-UNDP analysis shows the clear economic benefits of climate action.
As the global economy shows progress on decoupling emissions from growth (global GDP grew by 22% over 2015 to 2022 while emissions grew by only 7%) our analysis shows that Enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) could increase global GDP by up to 3% by 2050 and up to 13% by 2100 by reducing the risk of climate-related damages.
Integrating climate and development priorities, both at the national and local level, can generate co-benefits that extend beyond GDP growth. This requires effective private sector engagement, as well as optimising and leveraging public finance and strengthening international financial institutions. Integrating development-enhancing policies into NDCs could lift 175 million additional people out of extreme poverty by 2050 while strengthening resilience and energy equity. Actions that reduce emissions in transport and energy also improve air quality and health, lowering disease rates, cutting healthcare costs and boosting productivity. Strengthening energy security through a balanced energy mix can also decrease price volatility and improve affordability.
The OECD’s evidence-based policy recommendations help governments to move from commitment to implementation across climate mitigation, carbon pricing and adaptation.
Measuring progress towards climate commitments:
OECD analysis of the evolution and stringency of climate policies over 96 countries and the EU indicates that climate action has slowed for a third consecutive year. The OECD’s Climate Actions and Policies Measurement Framework (CAPMF) shows global climate action expanded by only 1% in 2024, continuing the slow pace observed in 2022 and 2023 after a 10% annual average increase over the previous decade. This can no longer be explained by the COVID 19 pandemic or economic shocks: it reflects a loss of momentum in implementing effective policy responses. Progress on enshrining net zero targets into law has also stagnated, with only 30 countries and the EU, representing 17.7% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, having made their targets legally binding. (See more details in the OECD Climate Action Monitor 2025).
Tracking carbon pricing policies:
The share of GHG emissions that is either subject to a carbon tax or covered by an emissions trading system has risen in the past few years across 79 countries that account for 82% of global emissions, according to OECD analysis to be released during COP30. Effective Carbon Rates 2025 looks at how the broadening in coverage comes as countries implement increasingly diverse and flexible carbon pricing policies that factor in considerations including energy security, affordability and competitiveness, and the cost of living. OECD data and analysis on energy taxes and emissions pricing can support policymakers in identifying priorities and designing balanced emission reduction strategies.
Supporting the design of effective climate adaptation policies:
The economic costs of drought have risen by up to 7.5% per year since 2000, and could double between now and 2035, according to the OECD Global Drought Outlook. A doubling in the global land area affected by drought means 40% of the planet now experiences frequent and intense events. Every US dollar invested in drought resilience can yield up to 10 dollars in economic returns.
OECD estimates of the firm-level costs of climate change show that ten additional days of high temperatures decrease firm productivity by 0.3% on average. Adaptation can reduce some of these losses but is currently insufficient.
Linking climate policies with biodiversity, land use and pollution:
Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are connected challenges with shared drivers, interacting pressures and mutually reinforcing dynamics. Harnessing interlinkages between them and across sectors such as agriculture, forestry, other land uses and food systems offers significant potential for climate mitigation and adaptation. Policy responses need to be more integrated and address trade-offs and alignment.
OECD analysis shows that biodiversity-positive incentives such as payment for ecosystem services, biodiversity offsets and taxes can simultaneously advance environmental and fiscal goals, mobilising public and private finance and generating revenue for governments. Biodiversity-related taxes, for example, raise over USD 10.6 billion annually in OECD countries and have potential to grow.
Countries can accelerate progress toward climate targets by strengthening, expanding and better coordinating their policy actions, including across the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sectors. The OECD policy inventory for mitigation actions in the AFOLU sectors (PIMA-AFOLU) helps countries to monitor progress in developing policies, improve their design and coordinate actions internationally.
Financing climate action:
Achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement requires mobilising financial resources at scale and aligning all financial flows with climate objectives. The OECD is committed to tracking the USD 100 billion annual climate finance goal through to 2025, to contributing to future monitoring of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and to assessing the broader climate alignment of the global financial system.
OECD analysis shows that developed countries exceeded the 100 billion climate finance goal in 2022, providing and mobilising USD 115.9 billion for climate action in developing countries. Preliminary data suggest the goal was likely met again in 2023. The OECD will publish its next report on the USD 100 billion goal in 2026, providing figures for 2023 and 2024. Looking ahead to the NCQG, OECD-IEA Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG) analysis highlights the importance of enhancing the shared understanding of what counts towards the goal to mobilise at least USD 300 billion per year by 2035 and the call to scale up flows to at least USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035. OECD–IEA analysis supports this process by identifying options to strengthen transparency, clarify scope and enhance the mobilisation of private capital.
Aligning finance with climate goals:
Corporate disclosure of sustainability related information has expanded to reach 91% of listed companies by global market capitalisation in 2024 up from 86% in 2022, according to the OECD’s Global Corporate Sustainability Report 2025. Disclosure levels are highest in the energy sector, at 94% of companies. With companies using different accounting standards and frameworks for this disclosure, further improvements are needed to comply with the G20/OECD Principle of Corporate Governance in this area.
There remains great potential to unlock private investment that is aligned with climate goals and redirect mainstream finance towards transition opportunities and away from activities that undermine resilience to climate change. The forthcoming 2nd edition of the OECD Review on Aligning Finance with Climate Goals – due in June 2026 – will provide new data and insights on financial flows and stocks, and on climate-related financial sector policies, at global and country level.
At current growth rates, EMDEs, excluding China, face a cumulative climate transition investment shortfall of USD 10 trillion by 2050 to meet Paris Agreement goals. That averages roughly USD 400 billion per year from now to 2050. If the private sector is to carry most of the load, bond markets for energy companies in emerging markets need to quadruple by 2035.
Supporting people in climate transitions:
Ensuring everyone has the best possible opportunity to benefit from the new opportunities of the climate transition, while supporting individuals that may be affected by disruptions, is key to build support and implement effective climate action.
The OECD is piloting the PISA 2029 Climate Literacy Framework for students to improve public awareness of climate change and attitudes to climate action. Most OECD countries have measures for managing labour market shifts, but adjustments may be needed to better protect low-skilled workers from the implications of the net zero transition and address regional and distributional impacts.
COP30 Action Agenda Activation Groups
The OECD actively contributed to several of the 30 Activation Groups set up to be a driving force behind the Brazilian Presidency’s COP30 Action Agenda. The Action Agenda is guided by the Global Stocktake and designed to engage with bodies which are outside the COP negotiations but essential for turning agreements into action. The Activation Groups will help to deliver a “granary of solutions” – an open platform of scalable real-world climate actions.
The OECD is directly involved in the Activation Groups through long-running initiatives and events in Belém in areas including building economic resilience to climate change, mobilising clean energy finance, water management, the phasing out of fossil fuel incentives and the development of effective carbon markets.
