Molly joined the Research Team at Integrum ESG in 2021, having previously worked as a Research Analyst at the A.I powered B2B services company Globality. Molly has a BSc in Economics from the University of Bristol, an MSc in Economics and Policy of Energy & the Environment at UCL and she holds the CFA UK Level 4 Certificate in ESG Investing.
At the same time, finance commitments fell short of expectations and negotiators failed to agree on a fossil fuel phase out.
Across these outcomes, one theme stands out for investors: the need for better climate data to support policymaking, capital allocation and long-term risk management.
COP30 is finalising a comprehensive set of 59 voluntary indicators to track progress under the Global Goal on Adaptation. These indicators cut across sectors and include finance, technology and capacity building. While voluntary, they represent a step toward more consistent climate reporting.
For companies, these indicators quietly raise expectations. Disclosure is becoming expected, which affects how investors assess transition readiness and adaptation planning.
Spain, Brazil and South Africa announced an international panel that will place inequality at the centre of climate policy.
This recognises that climate impacts fall disproportionately on vulnerable communities.
Aligning adaptation finance and investment flows with inequality metrics could support more targeted and effective climate action.
COP30 produced a pledge to triple adaptation finance by 2035.
However, it falls five years short of the timeline requested by Least Developed Countries and does not specify a baseline, funding source or accountability mechanism.
Given previous shortfalls in meeting the USD 100 billion per year by 2020 commitment under Article 9 of the Paris Agreement, there is concern that this pledge may not translate into delivery without private sector mobilisation.
The absence of a US delegation under the Trump administration created mixed reactions.
While overt scepticism could have made negotiations more difficult, the absence of the world’s largest economy is significant.
It also appears to have influenced the level of ambition among other delegations.
The most significant gap in the final text is the lack of any commitment to phase out fossil fuels.
Despite a strong scientific consensus on the need for rapid transition, negotiators did not agree a pathway or timeline.
This leaves governments and investors without clarity at a time when long-term planning is essential.
Many observers described the overall agreement as a “watered-down” package with limited enforceable measures.
Much of the future progress relies on voluntary commitments from countries and companies.
While there were small steps on finance and adaptation, the broader ambition did not match the scale of global climate goals.
Across the mixed outcomes at COP30, the value of good climate data stood out.
The new adaptation indicators are a positive step because they require consistent measurement. However, significant data gaps remain.
George Monbiot recently highlighted the lack of reliable information on climate related mortality. Similar gaps exist on heat related deaths, crop loss, displacement and adaptation outcomes. Without robust data, policymakers cannot design effective interventions and investors cannot assess material climate risk.
Better climate data shapes the narratives that influence policy, investment and accountability.
If future COPs are to deliver more than cautious optimism, climate data must be more comprehensive, transparent and impossible to ignore.
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