Insider's guide to the unmissable UN Climate Change COP30 events
· 11 min read
🏠 Read also the detailed guide to COP's most visited pavilions: Africa 🦁 • ASEAN 🗺️ • Australia 🇦🇺 • Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 • Buildings 🏢 • Business 💼 • Canada 🇨🇦 • Carbon 🪴 • Climate Change 🌡️ • Cryosphere 🧊 • Denmark 🇩🇰 • Energy ⚡ • Finland 🇫🇮 • Food 🍽️ • Forest 🌳 • France 🇫🇷 • Germany 🇩🇪 • Health 🏥 • Italy 🇮🇹 • Japan 🇯🇵 • Malaysia 🇲🇾 • Multilateral Dev. Banks 💰 • Norway 🇳🇴 • Ocean 🌊 • OECD 📊 • Peru 🇵🇪 • Planetary Embassy 🌍 • Regional Climate Foundations 🌱 • Science 🔬 • Singapore 🇸🇬 • Spain 🇪🇸 • Sweden 🇸🇪 • TED 🗣️ • UK 🇬🇧 • WWF 🐼 • Water 💧 • WECAN 🚺
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As one of the world’s most-read platforms on sustainability, illuminem is proud to present to you the only Insiders' guide to the best events at the UN Climate Change COP30 Summit.
This guide aggregates the best happenings from over 30 pavilions. Just like our viral list of top sustainability events, it has been curated with insights from our 1,500+ illuminem Voices (the largest network of sustainability experts, many speaking at the events listed). And it is designed to help you navigate the key sessions, launches, and dialogues that matter most.
True to our style, ⭐ marks recommended events. Feel free to share your favorite events with us as well!
Whether you're a policymaker, investor, academic, journalist, or sustainability leader, this is "your essential" to COP30’s heartbeat.
As the events highlight, three key topics take center stage at the annual Climate Summit.
• A decade since Paris: Nations are expected to present new, more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to keep the 1.5 °C target alive
• Nature at the center: Forests, biodiversity, and land restoration unsurprisingly dominate the agenda of the first "COP of the Amazon"
• Equity and inclusion: Indigenous leaders, who are the only constituency increasing their representation at this COP, have championed this topic with the support of youth movements and religious groups. (notably, the Pope’s remarks will emphasize this angle)
• 10:00-11:15 (Japan) | Nature on balance sheet
• 11:00-11:45 (Multilateral Dev. Banks) | Amazon burning bill: Estimating fire damages to manage the risks ahead (in Spanish)
• 12:30-13:30 (Peru) | Local adaptation champions awards ceremony, with Rosângela Lula da Silva (First Lady of Brazil) ⭐
• 12:30-13:30 (Singapore) | Powering resilient supply chains, with the Director of Sustainability of Bentley Systems
• 12:55–13:05 (Climate Action House) | Climate Leader interview: Nature as infrastructure, with Antonia Gawel (Global Director of Sustainability & Partnerships of Google)
• 14:00-14:50 (Denmark) | Key enablers of resilient, innovative, and competitive cities, with the Global Director of Rambøll
• 14:00-15:00 (United Kingdom) | Driving sustainable trade, with DP World
• 14:00-15:00 (Finland) | AI and sustainability, with the Secretary-General of the UN International Telecommunication Union
• 14:30-16:00 (Business) | Delivering Adaptation: Scaling Investment from Plans to Projects, hosted by BCG
• 15:00-16:00 (Germany) | Too hot to handle? Coffee and climate, with Reem Alabali Radovan (Germany's Minister of Economic Development) ⭐
• 16:15-18:00 (Canada) | Building early warning systems that save lives, with the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization ⭐
• 17:00-18:00 (Norway) | Healthy diets within planetary boundaries, with Jacob Jensen (Denmark's Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries)
• 17:00-18:00 (Australia) | Unlocking transition finance, with the Global Head of Sustainable Finance at Moody's
• 09:30-10:30 (France) | Placing forests and wetlands at the heart of climate and biodiversity solutions
• 10:00-10:45 (Norway) | Plant-based diplomacy, with Ghana's Minister for Sustainability and the former Danish Minister for the Environment ⭐
• 12:00-14:00 (Sweden) | Inauguration: How can we future-proof resilient societies?, with Inger Andersen (Executive Director of UNEP) ⭐
• 12:30-13:30 (Peru) | Unlocking the full potential of circularity, with the Head of Sustainability of PwC Brazil
• 12:45-13:30 (Canada) | Powering the digital age, with the Global Director of Sustainability & Partnerships of Google ⭐
• 13:00-13:15 (Singapore) | Cities day opening, with Chee Hong Tat (Singapore's Minister for National Development)
• 14:00-15:00 (Finland) | Pavilion opening
• 15:00-16:00 (Finland) | Circular Economy – Good for business, good for climate, with the Global Head of Sustainability of Nokia and Ville Tavio (Finland's Minister for Foreign Trade and Development) ⭐
• 15:30-17:00 (Carbon) | The oceans as a climate hero
• 16:00-16:50 (Denmark) | Next steps for the energy transition of global shipping, with the Secretary General of the IMO ⭐
• 09:00-09:45 (Norway) | Building tipping point governance
• 09:00-10:00 (Science) | Science-based pathways, with Sandrine Dixson-Decleve (illuminem Voice and fmr. President of the Club of Rome)
• 09:30-10:15 (Canada) | A dialogue on Indigenous climate leadership, with Julie Dabrusin (Minister of Environment of Canada)
• 09:30-11:00 (France) | Low-carbon mobility, with the executives af BlaBlaCar and Valeo ⭐
• 10:00-10:45 (FT, Green Zone) | Investing in resilience technology, with the President of the Environmental Defense Fund and the CSO of SAP
• 10:00-10:30 (Singapore) | Pavilion Finance Day Opening
• 10:30-12:00 (UN Innovation Hub) | Socio-Environmental Dialogue, with Emilce Cuda, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Special Envoy of Pope Leo XIV ⭐
• 11:00-11:45 (FT, Green Zone) | Closing the investment and materials gap
• 11:00-12:00 (Germany) | Where do we stand on just transition?, with Yasmin Fahimi (President of the German Trade Union Confederation)
• 12:55–13:05 | Climate leader interview: Financing the net-zero gap, with the Global Head of Public Affairs of Nestle
• 13:30-15:00 (Carbon) | How the public and private sectors can unlock CDR
• 14:00-15:00 (Peru) | Resilience for sustainable investment and inclusive development, with the Chief Economist of FAO
• 15:00-16:00 (Australia) | Sharing First Nations wisdom on nature-based solutions, with the CEO of WWF Australia
• 15:00-16:00 (IETA) | Planetary health and integrity, with Patricio Lombardi (top illuminem Voice and fmr. Argentina's Minister of Climate) ⭐
• 16:00-17:00 (Singapore) | Building resilient and sustainable supply chains, with F. Chen (Head of Sustainability of HSBC)
• 16:00-17:30 (France) | Restoring tropical forests in the Amazon and the Congo basin
• 16:00-17:30 (United Kingdom) | Seed banking and plant science, with Ismahane Elouafi (top illuminem Voice and fmr. Chief Scientist at FAO)
• 21:30-23:30 (TED) | Storytelling after dark, with the CSO of Netflix
• 08:00-09:30 (TED) | The role of business in carbon removal at scale, with the CSO of Microsoft
• 09:00-09:45 (Norway) | Advancing peace & resilience with locally led climate solutions, with Inger Andersen (Executive Director of UNEP) ⭐
• 09:00-10:00 (Business) | The role of women in climate resilience, with the Chief International Advocacy Officer of Natura
• 09:15-10:00 (Canada) | Decarbonizing the medical supply chain
• 12:00-14:00 (Sweden) | Rethinking the grid: global lessons, with the Global Head of Sustainability of Hitachi Energy ⭐
• 14:00-15:30 (United Kingdom) | The lungs of Africa: The Congo Basin and why it matters, with Congo's Minister of Environment
• 14:30-15:30 (WWF) | Collective climate futures: Business, communities & biodiversity
• 15:00-16:05 (FT, Green Zone) | Getting ecosystem restoration right, with the CSO of Zurich
• 15:00-16:50 (Denmark) | Wind energy: powering the green industrialization, with the Global Energy Leader of ARUP ⭐
• 18:30-19:45 (Cryosphere) | Launch of the state of the Cryosphere Report 2025
• 19:00-20:00 (Sweden) | Harvesting solutions: Transform food, land, and agriculture
• 09:00-09:45 (Norway) | Financing adaptation at scale
• 09:00-09:45 (Canada) | A conversation with Julie Dabrusin (Canada's Minister of the Environment)
• 10:00-12:00 (Climate Change) | Solar, wind, green hydrogen, and BESS to accelerate SDGs, with Alicia Arguello (Global Head of Sustainability of Hitachi Energy)
• 11:00-12:00 (TED) | The Global Ethical Stocktake, with Marina da Silva (Brazil's Minister for the Environment) and Al Gore (fmr. US Vice President) ⭐
• 11:30-12:45 (Malaysia) | Accelerating Malaysia’s energy transition, with Angela Wilkinson (top illuminem Voice and CEO of the World Energy Council) ⭐
• 14:00-15:00 (Peru) | Shark Tank – Building scale in adaptation finance, with the Global Head of Climate Risk of KPMG
• 13:00-14:00 (Finland) | How does a country see hydrogen as a security asset?
• 13:30-14:30 (Germany) | Empowering the global energy transition, with A. Clark (VP of Siemens Energy) ⭐
• 14:30-16:00 (TED) | From incremental to exponential, with Johan Rockström (Director of the Potsdam Institute)
• 15:00-16:00 (Business) | Transport & mobility investment dialogue, with the Head of Latin America of BloombergNEF
• 15:30-16:15 (Multilateral Dev. Banks) | Powering more with less: Scaling up energy efficiency
• 15:45-17:00 (Japan) | Turning avoided emissions into corporate value ⭐
• 17:00-17:45 (Norway) | Climate strategies for banks, with the Chief Regulatory Officer of Mitsubishi
• 21:00-22:30 (TED) | Imagining the future to build it, with Sandrine Dixson-Decleve (illuminem Voice and fmr. President of the Club of Rome)
• 09:30-10:15 (Canada) | Scaling solutions for the coal-to-clean transition
• 10:00-11:00 (Forest) | Opening of the Forest Pavillion
• 11:45-13:00 (Science) | The cryosphere as a driver of global change ⭐
• 12:00-13:00 (Food) | Catalysing greentech: Unlocking bioeconomy pathways for systemic change
• 14:00-15:30 (TED) | The climate crisis is a spiritual crisis, with L. Gold (Director of the Laudato Sì Papal Movement) ⭐
• 14:00-15:00 (Health) | From data to decarbonisation: Health system emissions in the Asia-Pacific
• 14:30-16:00 (Water) | Catalyzing systems approaches for water and climate resilience
• 15:00-16:00 (Australia) | Next stop: COP31 – Supporting Australia’s climate leadership ⭐
• 15:00-16:00 (Singapore) | Scaling impact through carbon markets, with the Head of Carbon Policy of MSCI ⭐
• 16:00-17:00 (Peru) | Community-driven resilience for conflict-affected and displaced communities
• 08:30-11:00 (Planet Embassy) | From waste to opportunity
• 09:00-10:30 (Buildings) | Arming institutions and practitioners with tools to achieve green and resilient buildings
• 10:30-12:00 (Singapore) | Delivering impact via carbon markets ⭐
• 11:00-12:00 (Finland) | Decarbonizing the energy system
• 13:45-15:45 (Japan) | Promoting climate change mitigation in agriculture ⭐
• 15:30-16:15 (Multilateral Dev. Banks) | Forests & nature finance solutions ⭐
• 16:00-17:30 (OECD) | Indigenous economies of the forest
• 17:00-18:00 (Food) | Transforming forest-risk agricultural commodities
• 08:30-11:00 (Planet Embassy) | Good corporate practices
• 09:30-11:00 (France) | 10 years since Paris: how to promote implementation? ⭐
• 10:30-11:30 (Germany) | Climate club high-level event
• 12:15-13:45 (Science) | From voluntary action to legal obligation: Science-driven corporate climate responsibility
• 13:05-13:55 (Forest) | Environmental communication and climate diplomacy for Central Africa
• 15:00-16:00 (Australia) | Sustainable construction and forest policy in action ⭐
• 15:30-17:00 (Singapore) | Flood and coastal resilience in SE Asia, with the Sustainability Lead of the Boston Consulting Group
• 16:00-17:30 (Water) | Progressing water
• 17:00-18:30 (Forest) | Political dialogue on the Congo Basin forest
• 08:30-11:00 (Planet Embassy) | Innovation in the Amazon’s bioeconomy
• 09:30-11:00 (France) | Combating climate disinformation ⭐
• 10:00-11:00 (Finland) | Nuclear for climate: Net zero requires cooperation, not competition, with S. Multala (Finland's Minister for Climate)
• 10:00-11:30 (United Kingdom) | Voices from the Three Basins (connect, mentor, inspire), with the Energy Director General of WWF
• 14:00-15:15 (Water) | Promoting water-resilient food systems ⭐
• 15:00-16:00 (Singapore) | Scaling up agrobiodiversity
• 15:30-17:00 (Carbon) | Paving the way for a regenerative economy ⭐
• 15:30-16:30 (Food) | Community-led forest economies
• 10:00-11:00 (Australia) | Pacific climate champions high-level panel ⭐
• 10:00-11:15 (Japan) | Japan’s cooperation for ASEAN’s decarbonization ⭐
• 12:00-13:00 (Finland) | Policy brief ⭐
• 12:00-13:00 (Food) | Scaling solutions for resilient animal/aquatic food systems
• 13:00-14:00 (WWF) | Scaling urban Nature-based Solutions, with E. Moguera (UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change & Human Rights)
• 14:00-15:30 (Forest) | Scaling afforestation
• 14:00-15:30 (OECD) | Making agricultural trade more sustainable: What are countries doing?
• 17:00-18:00 (Germany) | Global fossil fuel exit ⭐
• 17:00-18:00 (Australia) | Pavilion closing celebration and drinks, with Chris Bowen (Australia's Minister for Climate) ⭐
• 08:30-11:00 (Planet Embassy) | Chemistry of the forest
• 10:00-11:30 (OECD) | Scaling up climate-resilient infrastructure
• 11:45-12:15 (United Kingdom) | Closing remarks, with Ed Miliband (UK's Minister for Energy and Climate Change) ⭐
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