Delegates at COP30, held in Belém at the edge of the Amazon rainforest, were expected to confront intensive animal agriculture, one of the world's most urgent yet under-addressed climate drivers.  Despite its well-documented role in accelerating deforestation, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions, the negotiations largely avoided the issue.

Sally Kahiu, External Affairs Lead at World Animal Protection, said: "We cannot protect the planet while propping up an industry that destroys forests, fuels the climate crisis, and subjects billions of animals to immense suffering. Cutting down forests to grow crops for billions of intensively farmed animals rather than feeding people makes neither environmental nor economic sense. Ignoring this reality holds back global progress."

Despite being hosted in the Amazon, the conference's final Belém Political Package weakened earlier pledges to halt deforestation, an alarming rollback at a time when forest loss is accelerating and destabilising global weather patterns.

These impacts are being felt across diverse regions of Africa, from prolonged drought cycles in the Horn of Africa to destructive floods in Southern Africa and crop failures in parts of West Africa.

As the world moves toward COP31, World Animal Protection urges all nations to confront the true drivers of deforestation and build food systems that are humane, equitable and sustainable.

COP32 in Ethiopia, presents a historic opportunity where African solutions must shape the global agenda. Most African countries are already pioneering adaptation and food systems transformation. Kenya's agroecology adoption initiatives, Rwanda's forest restoration efforts, and Ghana's sustainable land management programmes demonstrate that the continent is working on solutions that can be fronted at the Addis Cop.