From Signals to Systems: What Forest Finance Must Deliver After COP30

The world’s forests aren’t running out of time — we are. COP30’s new forest finance announcements, from the Tropical Forest Forever Facility to renewed tenure pledges, show that governments recognise the scale of the crisis. But recognising a crisis and stopping one are not the same thing. Markets are moving, technologies are scaling, and companies are reforming their supply chains. What’s missing is political clarity and resourcing. Delay now isn’t caution — it’s negligence.

Outside COP30, the shift is already happening: companies are reforming their supply chains, Next Gen packaging and textiles made from agricultural residues and recycled clothing are scaling, and the economics have moved decisively away from increasingly volatile high-carbon forest sourcing. The only place where deforestation is still treated as optional seems to be at COP negotiation tables.

Without strong regulation, even billions in forest finance will paper over the problem rather than solve it. Governments must hold their nerve on policies like the EUDR. Businesses have clearly stated they’re ready to implement. Any retreat by government now just creates instability for business and investment. 

The solutions already exist, the momentum is real, and the only barrier left is the willingness of governments to act. COP30 cannot be another round of hopeful language. Dubbed the “COP of Implementation”, now must be the moment leaders choose action over excuses, prove that political leadership still matters, and that it can still rise to a crisis rather than hide behind process."