Climate Action
Who’s Who at COP30?
November 11, 2025
Every year, thousands of climate experts, activists, and policymakers gather for an annual conference on climate change. Called the Conference of Parties, or COP, this annual meeting for all 198 parties included in the United Nations Framework on Climate Change brings together a diverse group of world leaders, institutions, climate experts and a whole army of fossil fuel lobbyists to discuss climate and national commitments.
This year, COP30 is hosted in the heart of the Amazon: Belém, Brazil. As global emissions remain high, it’s a critical moment of international reckoning. In 2024, global CO2 emissions rose by 0.8% to a record high of 37.4 billion tonnes, pushing atmospheric CO2 concentrations to 422.5 parts per million — about 50% higher than pre-industrial levels.
So just who will be in ‘the room’ at COP30 where decisions to tackle these issues get made? Special envoys will be key; these are volunteers selected by the COP Presidency to represent key sectors and regions.
These envoys are tasked with facilitating the flow of information between stakeholders and COP leadership and they act as key points of contact. This year, there are 7 international envoys for strategic regions who each bring years of governing experience and unique regional perspectives to COP30. Let’s meet them….
1. Adan Amin (Middle East)
Adan Amin, the Chair of the World Energy Council, is the special envoy for the Middle East at COP 30. A sustainable development economist by trade, Mr. Amin stepped onto the world stage in 2011 as the first director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, which rapidly became an authoritative voice for the renewable energy transition.
Amin was selected as the Chief Executive Officer for COP28, leading the negotiations that launched the UAE consensus. We’re excited to see how Mr. Amin leverages his wealth of international negotiation experience in Brazil this November!
2. Jacinda Ardern (Oceania)
Dame Jacinda Ardern, who served as the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023, is a special envoy for Oceania at COP 30.
Having achieved international acclaim for her self-described “empathetic approach” to leadership, Dame Ardern chose to resign as PM in 2023. Since stepping down, she has continued to work on the issues that defined her premiership: making space for new styles of leadership, combatting extremism, and defending the environment.
Today, her extensive involvement includes being a fellow at Harvard University, a trustee for Prince William’s innovative environmental competition: the Earthshot Prize, a patron of Christchurch Call to Action which is dedicated to eliminating terrorist and violent extremism online content, and founder of the Field Fellowship on empathetic leadership. It will be interesting to see how Dame Ardern leverages this diverse experience to build crucial dialogue across priority sectors in COP 30.
3. Patricia Espinosa (Latin America)
Patricia Espinosa is a distinguished Mexican diplomat and global climate leader who currently serves as the CEO and co-founder of onepoint5, a climate and ESG (environment, social, governance) consulting group.
During her tenure as Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2016 to 2022, Ambassador Espinosa shaped the implementation of the Paris Agreement Rulebook.
Prior to this role, she served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico (2006–2012). With more than 35 years of experience in diplomacy and international relations, we look forward to seeing how Ambassador Espinosa guides action items at COP30.
4. Arunabha Ghosh (South Asia)
The founder and CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), a prominent climate think tank, Arunabha Ghosh has more than two decades of experience across 54 countries as a climate leader.
In 2022, the UN Secretary-General appointed him to the High-level Expert Group on the Credibility and Accountability of Net-Zero Announcements by Non-State Actors.
In Oct 2024, the Government of India appointed him to the Commission for Air Quality Management. Dr.Ghosh also serves as a co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Energy Nexus. Over the past few months, Dr. Ghosh has gone on a “listening tour” of South Asia to prepare for his role as special envoy and will bring those concerns, perspectives, and innovative ideas to COP 30.
5. Carlos Lopes (Africa)
A development economist, chair of the African Climate Foundation, and honorary professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town, Carlos Lopes intends to bring a distinctly African perspective to COP30.
Dr. Lopes has previously served as the eighth Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa from 2012 to 2016, and as High Representative of the African Union for partnerships with Europe.
For this COP, he’ll be returning to a familiar environment having previously served as the United Nations Development Program Resident Representative in Brazil, overseeing one of the largest UNDP programs globally. In his recent articles for Project-Syndicate, Dr. Lopes has emphasized the importance of building value-chains and expanding the carbon market regulations. We look forward to seeing how he advocates for these action items for COP 30.
6. Jonathan Pershing (North America)
Dr. Jonathan Pershing is a globally recognized expert in climate diplomacy, currently serving as the Program director of Environment at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. He brings decades of experience in governance and international engagement.
A veteran of the UN climate process since 1990, he served as the lead U.S. negotiator for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and was part of the IPCC team awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for their landmark report on climate change.
His distinguished career includes high-level roles as Deputy to Presidential Envoy John Kerry and Special Envoy for Climate Change at the U.S. Department of State, alongside senior positions at the U.S. Department of Energy, the International Energy Agency, and the World Resources Institute.
7. Laurence Tubiana (Europe)
Laurence Tubiana is a leading international climate diplomat and CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF). Her pivotal role as France’s Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21 meant she was a key architect of the successful Paris Agreement.
She founded the prestigious think tank, the Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI), and continues to shape policy as co-chair of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force, a professor at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and chair of the Paris Climate School at Sciences Po.
In recognition of her contributions to diplomacy and environmental policy, she was awarded the prestigious Légion d’Honneur in 2024. Tubiana has been outspoken on deepening European and Brazil cooperation at COP30, and we’re excited to see how updated NDCs reflect this desire.
What’s Next?
The conversations and negotiations at COP 30 will help shape a global roadmap, but the true change starts at home. While world leaders debate policy, we must shift from being observers to participants.
Do not let the headlines pass by without action. Commit to implementing one change in your daily habits to support the environment — whether it’s switching to public transport, embracing meatless meals, or supporting vital initiatives like Earthday’s Canopy Tree Project. We must hold ourselves accountable to our planet. Your daily decisions are the most powerful climate policy we have.
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