Why is COP30 important to trade unions?
COP30 is extremely important for trade unions because it has been designated as the COP of Action or what many now call the Implementation COP. For nearly three decades, we have had a series of conferences where much has been said, negotiated, and declared. But now, the world expects action. This is the moment when all the commitments and conversations of the past 29 years must finally translate into tangible results.
For us in the labour movement, COP30 is the point where just transition must stop being an idea and become a lived reality. We expect that the different work streams that have emerged from previous conferences will evolve into actionable frameworks that genuinely transform workplaces, industries, and livelihoods.
In Nigeria, the NLC has been active in this process, ensuring that our participation extends beyond rhetoric. At the recently held Pre-COP30 Synthesis and Regional Strategy Review Session in Keffi, we outlined several critical demands. One major demand is for just financing for climate action. The developed countries, known as Annex I and II parties under the Paris Agreement who bear historical responsibility for the majority of global emissions, must now commit more funds to support nations like Nigeria in managing the devastating impacts of climate change.
These impacts are no longer abstract. They are already manifesting in the form of heat stress, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and in some cases, cancers among workers exposed to hazardous conditions. Climate change is becoming a public health emergency within workplaces. This is why we insist that COP30 must not just be about lofty speeches, it must deliver financing that enables protection, rehabilitation, and reskilling of workers.
Developed countries owe the world a debt. Their industrial revolutions built wealth but left deep environmental scars across the planet. COP30 must therefore be the stage where promises are fulfilled, where pledges finally become payments, and words give way to real, measurable actions.
At COP29, there were major funding expectations. As we move toward COP30, what exactly are trade unions demanding from the Global North?
Our message to the Global North is straightforward: honour your commitments and act responsibly. At COP29, discussions revolved around a $1.2 trillion financing target. But during the United Nations Conference on Financing for Development, it became clear that developing economies, especially in the Global South will actually require about $4 trillion annually to effectively respond to climate change.
So, as trade unions, we are demanding that developed economies commit between $1.3 and $4 trillion to support countries most affected by the climate crisis. These are the same nations whose development pathways were built on fossil fuel exploitation. We are referring primarily to the G7 countries and other advanced economies, including Japan and China. While China classifies itself as a developing country, it is also one of the world’s largest emitters and therefore has a shared responsibility.
This is not just about climate justice; it’s about correcting centuries of social and economic imbalance. The people and nations that powered the industrial revolution at the expense of the environment now have a moral duty to repair the damage. The world shares one atmosphere, one planet, and one destiny. Justice for the Global South is justice for humanity.
If the Global North agrees to pay, how should these funds be managed or disbursed?
Thankfully, there are already credible international mechanisms for managing climate finance. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) have been in existence for years, and a newer but equally crucial mechanism, the Loss and Damage Fund was established at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt. These are the appropriate, transparent, and multilateral channels through which climate funds should be disbursed.
We in the trade union movement, however, are wary of the increasing tendency to divert climate finance through private or bilateral channels such as the World Bank. These often come with hidden conditions that can further burden developing countries already by debt. Climate finance should not become another instrument of control or profiteering.
Funds must be publicly managed, not privatised. They must come as grants, not loans. And crucially, they must reach workers; the people who are both victims and drivers of the transition. Emissions come from workplaces, and solutions must begin there.
Climate finance must therefore prioritize worker-oriented programs: reskilling, upskilling, and retraining for green jobs; social protection for those displaced by the transition; unemployment support and early retirement for those unable to adapt quickly; and comprehensive rehabilitation for workers in polluted or high-risk environments like the Niger Delta, where many have suffered serious health consequences.
The NLC’s Just Transition Guideline and Action Plan already outline these priorities. We are happy that it emphasizes worker rehabilitation, retraining, and community-based support. This is the essence of a just transition: justice for workers, justice for communities, and justice for the planet itself.
What should the African Union (AU) do ahead of COP30 to strengthen Africa’s position?
That’s an important question. The African Union already coordinates its climate response through the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). This body brings together environment ministers from across the continent, whose resolutions feed into the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), the official team representing Africa in global climate talks.
Fortunately, the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has built strong collaboration with the AU and AMCEN to ensure workers’ voices are not left out of Africa’s negotiation agenda. Recently, in Dar es Salaam, trade unions met under this framework to consolidate Africa’s positions ahead of COP30.
Our position is clear. Africa’s transition must be built on energy sovereignty; a public pathway to accessible and affordable energy that powers green industrialisation. The continent cannot transition without energy. We are also calling for debt cancellation, because the debt trap is undermining Africa’s ability to respond to climate impacts or invest in sustainable development. Finally, we demand reparations and climate justice. Africa has contributed the least to global emissions but bears the harshest impacts. Those responsible must pay their dues.
These are not abstract policy positions, they are matters of human rights and survival. The African Union must champion these demands through the AGN at COP30.
When trade unions speak, we do so not only for our members but for the continent and its future generations. A just transition for Africa is not just a moral necessity, it is a prerequisite for a just and sustainable world.