ActionAid urges governments to prioritise people, as it prepares to lobby for a just transition mechanism at COP30

As the world turns its attention to the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, international organisation, ActionAid, is issuing a stark warning to governments to place people at the heart of climate action or risk deepening global inequality.

The organisation is joining forces with other climate groups to lobby for the establishment of a formal just transition mechanism, arguing that the current global approach is failing those on the frontlines of the crisis.

New research from ActionAid underscores a profound disconnect in international efforts. Their findings reveal that a meagre three percent of global climate finance is dedicated to supporting a just transition; one that prioritises the needs of workers, women, and local communities while tackling the climate emergency. This, they argue, leaves the very people most affected by the shift away from fossil fuels and industrial agriculture systematically sidelined.

“Climate action might be taking place, but the needs of people at the heart of these transitions are being ignored. Communities are being left out of decisions that acutely impact them, even as the climate crisis escalates year on year,” said Teresa Anderson, Global Lead for Climate Justice at ActionAid International.

Anderson emphasised that the necessary move towards renewables and sustainable agroecology must not come at a human cost.

“Cutting emissions shouldn’t mean cutting corners on people’s lives and livelihoods,” she stated.

To address this gap, ActionAid is championing the creation of a ‘Belém Action Mechanism’ at the upcoming summit.

This proposed framework would coordinate a global approach to a just transition, facilitating shared learning and providing direct support for implementation. The goal is to ensure that local populations can shape the plans that affect them, securing access to new job opportunities, training, and resources so that climate action lifts communities up rather than inadvertently pushing them into poverty.

“Without a just transition plan, we don’t have a robust, global approach to the problem. The current situation is haphazard and disorganised, which serves no one,” added Anderson.

This call for a coordinated mechanism is coupled with a renewed demand for wealthy, high-polluting nations to fulfil their financial responsibilities. ActionAid insists that these countries must provide trillions of dollars in grant-based; not loan-based; climate finance each year to the Global South.

Reflecting on the shortcomings of last year’s COP29 in Baku, Anderson expressed deep concern.

“We’re another year on and the situation is desperate. Why can’t governments see that the more finance is pushed in the form of loans, the further vulnerable countries are being pushed into debt? The world needs proper finance to properly tackle this crisis, and so far, it has not been delivered,” she stated.