COP30 and the Paris Agreement at Ten: Time to Look Beyond the Summit?

Ksapa | October 2025

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EDITORIAL

As COP30 convenes in Belém this November, marking a decade since the Paris Agreement, the sobering truth is clear: we're on track for 3°C of warming while global climate ambition retreats. Budget cuts proliferate, political will weakens, and the gap between diplomatic pledges and climate reality widens daily.

Yet there's reason for determined optimism. While international negotiations falter, cities and regions worldwide are pioneering the adaptation and resilience strategies that will define our climate future. From California's defiant leadership to China's "sponge cities", local actors are discovering that climate action isn't aspirational—it's existential.

This is why COP30 matters differently now. Beyond NDC renewals and forest finance, this Amazon COP must catalyze stronger connections between global frameworks and grassroots implementation. The question isn't whether international summits remain relevant, but how we bridge the gap between conference halls and communities facing floods, fires, and droughts today.

Ksapa will be at COP30, contributing our expertise in climate resilience and sustainability strategy. But we know the real work happens before and after the summit—in boardrooms, city halls, and communities building climate resilience daily.

Ready to move beyond summits to solutions? Partner with Ksapa to transform climate risks into resilience strategies tailored to your organization's reality. Contact us today.

Farid Baddache, CEO

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

COP30 and the Paris Agreement at Ten: Time to Look Beyond the Summit?

👉 What if adaptation and resilience aren’t optional anymore - they are survival no matter what happens at COP30?

As we approach COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the international community marks a sobering milestone for climate action: 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement. What was once hailed as a watershed moment in global climate diplomacy now faces an uncomfortable reckoning. Yet, amid this discouraging landscape, a different narrative is emerging - one that suggests that real climate action may no longer happen in the rarefied air of international summits, but in the messy, urgent, and increasingly unavoidable work happening in cities, regions, and communities worldwide. Read more here!

Conducting Human Rights Impact Assessment: Why it’s Essential

👉 In economic activities increasingly disrupted by various geopolitical, social, and territorial constraints, the human rights risk review provides a beneficial long-term strategic and operational perspective.

The imperative to assess human rights risks spans entire value chains. Agriculture, mining, and construction, three high-impact sectors, pose serious human rights risks. To effectively protect workers and communities, companies must conduct thorough human rights impact assessments to identify, prevent and mitigate harm before it occurs. While global assessments reveal overarching risks and industry-wide trends, only local assessments can capture the nuances of national laws, socio-economic conditions, and cultural factors. This article uses the construction sector as a case study to illustrate why it is essential for companies to conduct a tailored human rights impact assessment (HRIA).

Qualitative Impacts Supporting Automotive Supply Chain Rubber

👉 How to connect entire value chains, and address critical environmental and social challenges at first mile of production, to build greater resilience for everyone? Flagship example in the natural rubber industry:

Ksapa has been supporting Michelin, a world-leading manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences and automotive companies to champion the sustainable extraction of natural rubber and improve farmers livelihoods. The commitment of these companies to transparency and better working conditions in the extraction of raw materials is demonstrated by the CASCADE (Committed Actions for Smallholders Capacity Development) project implemented in Sumatra in Indonesia since 2020, a pivotal step in enhancing Rubber Smallholder Farmers Livelihoods. This project is the first to onboard the entirety of the supply chain: smallholder farmers and partners, a natural rubber processing company, a tire manufacturer, and a carmaker.

Behind the Screen: ESG Impacts of Social Media

👉 Explore the environmental and social risks profiling the social media industry to target where to shape better practices

This briefing paper examines the structure and dynamics of the global social media sector, highlighting its key actors, value chains, and rapid innovation. It also explores the sector’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks—from energy use and data practices to human rights and labor issues—alongside the growing regulatory scrutiny shaping its future.

Please contact us. Share your ideas. All together, let us help create more resilient and inclusive societies.

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