COP30: An opportunity to unlock climate finance for nutrition and agrifood systems
As world leaders, global investors, development partners, and civil society gather in Belém, Brazil, for the COP30 climate conference, the event marks a defining moment for climate action and sustainable development.
This year’s summit is more than another climate meeting. It is an opportunity to finally recognise what science and lived experience have made increasingly clear:
Climate change and malnutrition are deeply interconnected and the key to breaking this cycle lies in transforming our agrifood systems.
Climate change is fuelling malnutrition
From devastated crops and livestock losses to droughts that reduce water access and floods that destroy food supplies, climate change is worsening malnutrition worldwide. The effects are particularly acute in low- and middle-income countries where food systems are fragile and highly climate-dependent.
Extreme weather events are making it harder for families to grow and access nutritious foods.
Rising food prices driven by climate shocks disproportionately harm the most vulnerable, especially children, pregnant women, and adolescent girls.
Conflict over scarce resources, such as water and arable land, is displacing communities and deepening hunger.
Every climate shock pushes more children into stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies. Without urgent action, climate change could push an additional 132 million people into extreme poverty by 2030 (World Bank, 2024).
The cost of inaction on nutrition is staggering; not only in human terms but also economically. Malnutrition already costs the global economy US$3.5 trillion per year
in lost productivity and healthcare spending (Global Nutrition Report, 2023).
Sustainable agrifood and nutrition systems are part of the solution…if we invest in them
Agrifood systems contribute up to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions (FAO, 2024). Yet paradoxically, only 4% of global climate finance currently goes to agriculture and food systems (Climate Policy Initiative, 2023).
This represents a massive lost opportunity.
Investing in climate-resilient, nutrition-focused agrifood systems could:
- Reduce emissions at scale
- Improve maternal, infant, and child nutrition
- Create green jobs and strengthen rural livelihoods
- Build resilience against climate shocks
At The Power of Nutrition, we see every day that nutrition is not just a health outcome, it is a climate intervention, an economic intervention, and a development intervention.
Climate finance can drive a triple win
The Power of Nutrition advocates for increased investment into agrifood systems through catalytic financing pulling more resources into nutrition by crowding in public, private, and philanthropic capital.
Climate finance directed toward food systems can generate a triple win:
- Efficiency – Higher yield and reduced food loss through climate-smart agriculture.
- Resilience – Stronger food and health systems that protect women and children during shocks.
- Sustainability – Reduced emissions through regenerative agriculture, soil restoration, and better land management.
Our work demonstrates that targeted investments such as improving the quality of maternal nutrition services, deploying digital tools for supply chain management, or strengthening local food production deliver outsized impact when designed with sustainability and equity at the core.
What we want to see at COP30
COP30 must be the conference where global actors commit to:
- Increase climate finance to food and nutrition programming, with dedicated targets for maternal, newborn, and child nutrition.
- Channel more resources to low- and middle-income countries and frontline communities, where climate risks are greatest.
- Mobilise private sector investment into sustainable agriculture and nutrition financing mechanisms.
- Embed nutrition outcomes within climate policies and climate funds, including the Green Climate Fund and the Loss and Damage Fund.
If leaders at COP30 are serious about climate justice, resilience, and sustainable development, nutrition must be at the center of climate negotiations not as an afterthought, but as a priority.
A call to action
With the world’s attention turning to Belém, a city at the heart of the Amazon rainforest we are at a pivotal moment.
Climate change is accelerating malnutrition.
Malnutrition weakens resilience to future climate shocks.
To break this cycle, we must finance the transformation of our agrifood systems.
Investing in nutrition is investing in climate resilience, health equity, and sustainable development.
The Power of Nutrition advocates to governments, donors, and the private sector to unlock catalytic capital and transform commitments into action. At COP30, we urge leaders to seize this opportunity not just for the planet, but for every child’s right to thrive.
Partner with us
We never work alone. Below are some of the partners we work with - all sharing our vision of a world where every child has the right nutrition to reach their full potential.
