Global lawmakers commit to accelerating climate action at COP30 parliamentary meeting in Belem
BGIPU Vice Chair Alex Sobel MP called for national parliaments to legislate on ecocide and to facilitate the mobilisation of private finance to protect ecosystems
Parliamentarians from around the world, gathered in Belém for the IPU’s Parliamentary Meeting at COP30, the UN Climate Change Conference, have reaffirmed their strong commitment to supporting governments in intensifying their efforts to address the climate emergency.
Over 200 MPs and experts from some 40 countries participated in the event on 14 November 2025, which was jointly organized by the IPU and the Brazilian Parliament.
Against the backdrop of the 10-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the MPs expressed deep concern that 2024 had been the hottest year on record, with global average temperatures already overshooting the 1.5°C target threshold established in the Agreement.
At the end of the meeting, the parliamentarians adopted a comprehensive outcome document outlining the need for stronger parliamentary engagement and oversight to ensure the achievement of the Paris Agreement goals.
The document underscores the essential role of parliaments in advancing the implementation of national climate commitments, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and in passing legislation to translate international commitments into national action.
It reaffirms parliamentarians’ commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in climate-related budgets and policies. It also focuses on enhanced climate finance, particularly for developing countries, to support their adaptation to rising temperatures and extreme weather events.
Given Belém’s proximity to the Amazon rainforest, the document highlights the urgent need to preserve and restore forests, oceans and biodiversity hotspots, as well as to ensure the legal recognition and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
Methane matters
The meeting also focused on methane reduction as a critical global priority with the potential to significantly slow down global warming.
Parliaments are urged to advance legislative and regulatory frameworks aimed at cutting global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
To support this effort, the IPU recently released a new tool on methane reduction, Methane matters: Three steps for parliamentary action, which outlines specific steps that parliaments can take to accelerate methane emission cuts.
New global guide for MPs
During the IPU meeting, a new publication, The Parliamentarians’ Global Guide to Climate Change and Climate Solutions, was also launched.
Coordinated by the University of Exeter, Arizona State University and the IPU, the Guide brings together leading climate experts to provide policymakers with the latest scientific evidence and practical insights.
The Guide covers a wide range of topics, including the fundamentals of climate science, biodiversity loss, the polar regions, adaptation, finance and economics, the low-carbon transition, food security, carbon markets and the importance of the COP process.
It also features a foreword by youth climate campaigners and scientists calling for “brave and authentic leadership to navigate this age of complexity and uncertainty”.
Background
The IPU has brought together MPs at the annual UN climate meetings since COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, to encourage global coordination and the exchange of good practices, and to provide an overall parliamentary perspective to the talks.
The IPU has been calling for parliaments to be mainstreamed into UN climate processes for many years, underlining the critical role they play in tackling climate change through effective legislation, green budgeting and oversight of government promises.
BGIPU Vice Chair Alex Sobel MP called for national parliaments to legislate on ecocide and to facilitate the mobilisation of private finance to protect ecosystems
An indigenous parliamentarian from Brazil, Celia Xakriaba, called for a global redress for the damage cause by the biggest global emitters.
The Amazon Rain Forest ©Hanming Huan
