Belém’s balance – why COP30 was a loss, a win, and a warning…
Welcome to 2025’s final Temperature Check. The moment that wasn’t Ten years after Paris, COP30 in Belém was billed as the “COP of implementation,” a moment of truth hosted in the Amazon where climate urgency meets geopolitical reality. The result was a managed compromise. There was progress on justice, finance, and forests, but a failure […]
Temperature Check: COP30 – Edition 2
Belém’s climate crossroads – the heat is on. Welcome back to Temperature Check, Portland’s annual COP newsletter. COP30’s second week in Belém is a make-or-break moment for global climate action. Week 1 brought historic pledges, the Loss and Damage Fund’s first project window, methane finance breakthroughs, and Indigenous-led protests, but deep divisions over finance, fossil […]
Temperature check: COP30 – Edition 1
The calm before the chaos Welcome back to Temperature Check, Portland’s annual COP newsletter. As the world’s biggest climate summit lands in the heart of the Amazon, the atmosphere feels febrile. Major economies are watering down targets, geopolitical crises are fracturing attention, and the global economy is jittery. Once again, the story before […]
UNGA 80: Reframing development as a strategic investment in global stability
After an intense and inspiring week in New York for UNGA80, one thing was clear: the global system is at a turning point. Yes, headlines painted a picture of despair. However, in the side events and corridors, the mood was pragmatic, even cautiously optimistic. Sector leaders acknowledged the urgent threats to multilateralism, as well as […]
UNGA 80: In a divided world, is unity still possible?
The world is in New York again for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), running until Sept. 28th. But unlike previous years, the stakes in 2025 feel higher, the divides wider, and the need for genuine multilateral action more urgent. Humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a Russia-Ukraine stalemate, tensions over the Taiwan […]
The water crisis: A broken promise that cannot be ignored
Fifteen years ago, the United Nations declared access to water and sanitation a universal human right, as essential as shelter, safety, or education. In 2025, that promise remains unfulfilled for billions. One in four people still lack access to safe drinking water. Nearly half of the global population remains without basic sanitation. More than 419 […]
Three paradoxes shaping our world: navigating the new global reality
A series of paradoxes is redrawing the global landscape. Old assumptions are failing, power is being renegotiated, and the playbooks that once guided international affairs no longer apply. For leaders aiming to drive change, understanding these shifts is not just an intellectual exercise; it is a strategic necessity. Here are three paradoxes that define the […]
UNOC3: A turning point for ocean governance amid geopolitical shifts
Insights from Alexandre Cougoulic, Partner, International Development, Portland The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held from June 9 to 13, 2025, in Nice, France, marked a pivotal moment in global ocean governance. Heads of state, international institutions, scientists, civil society, and private sector actors convened to assess progress on Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life […]