Climate change and risks

INRAE at the UN COP30 on Climate Change

Ten years after the Paris Agreement, COP30 will take place in the city of Belém, Brazil, at a critical juncture for global climate action and the implementation of commitments to keep warming below 1.5 °C. INRAE will present scientific solutions addressing several key challenges: sustainable water management, forest conservation, soil carbon storage, zoonosis prevention, and the agroecological transition.

Published on 06 November 2025

© INRAE

Monitoring and Preserving Tropical Ecosystems

In the Amazon, where COP30 is being held, tropical forests represent both a cornerstone of the global climate and an ecosystem under threat. Their ability to store carbon and support exceptional biodiversity is currently under threat from deforestation and habitat degradation. The One Forest Vision initiative aims to strengthen understanding of the dynamics of deforestation, carbon (storage and cycling), and biodiversity across the three major tropical basins (Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asia) through a combination of satellite observations, field data, and artificial intelligence.

Co-led by INRAE and CIRAD and launched in 2023, the One Forest Vision initiative unites a wide scientific network, bringing together French institutions, space agencies, and partners from Africa. INRAE contributes its expertise in forest carbon cycles, remote sensing, biodiversity, and ecosystem modelling, while also supporting the training of young researchers through structured programmes such as TSARA.

One Forest Vision Events at COP30
 
  • “Setting Course for COP30: Amazon–Congo Basin Confluences: Bringing together transdisciplinary forest and wetland science”
    OFVI will join the Iaraçu river caravan
  • “Three Basins, One Vision: Uniting Major Scientific Projects to Place Forests and Wetlands at the Heart of Climate and Biodiversity Solutions” organised by CFBBA / One Forest Vision 
    11 November, 9:30–10:30, France Pavilion
    • with Thierry Caquet, Vice-President of International Policy at INRAE
    • and Murielle Trouillet, Deputy Director of International Relations

Find out more:

A better management of water through satellite observation

The disruption of the global water cycle — through droughts, floods, and competing uses — has made water a central challenge in climate adaptation, on par with energy and carbon

The One Water Vision initiative harnesses data from next-generation satellites to improve understanding of the global hydrological cycle. The SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) and TRISHNA (Thermal Infrared Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment) missions will provide unprecedented measurements to strengthen flood and drought forecasting, enable more precise management of agricultural irrigation, and inform fairer governance of water resources at the scale of (entire) river basins.

Launched in 2024, this international initiative led by France is coordinated by INRAE and supported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), as well as a consortium of space agencies, research centres, and water management institutions.

One Water Vision events at COP30
 
  • “Water management and climate adaptation: the dual challenge of knowledge and cooperation”
    10 November, 16h – 17h30, FrancePavillon 
    with Murielle Trouillet, Deputy Director of International Relations
     
  • “Eyes in orbit: how satellites monitor water for climate adaptation”
    10 November, 18h30 – 20h, UNFCCC Official Zone– Room 4 
    with Thierry Caquet, Vice-President of International Policy at INRAE
     
  • “From ground to orbit: combining in-situ and satellite monitoring of water resources for adaptation to climate change”
    12 November, 11h20 – 12h35, AgriZone Embrapa
    with Murielle Trouillet, Deputy Director of International Relations at INRAE

Find out more:

Improving Soil Carbon Knowledge to Guide Agroecological Transition

At the intersection of climate, agricultural, and environmental challenges, soils represent a major global carbon reservoir. Their capacity to store organic carbon makes them a strategic focus for the agroecological transition, with considerable untapped potential. INRAE is actively involved in the international “4 per 1000” initiative, launched by France at COP21 in Paris in 2015, which promotes agricultural practices worldwide that enhance the sustainable storage of carbon in soils and biomass. The institute plays a leading scientific role, developing quantification methods, national-scale scenarios, and assessments of co-benefits for soil quality.

Since 2023, INRAE coordinates the International Research Consortium on Soil Carbon (IRC), which brings together European and international partners, including Brazilian institutions, to improve understanding of the mechanisms of carbon sequestration in agricultural soils and to promote the sharing of scientifically validated knowledge through the Impact4Soil platform.

This international research community aims to act as a trusted scientific third party, developing tools for knowledge exchange, refining monitoring methods, modelling long-term effects, and supporting public policies with robust and comparable data. 

“4 per 1000” and IRC Soil Carbon events at COP30
 
  • IRC Soil Carbon: “Alliance Brazil and EU to promote carbon farming practices via public policies based on science” 
    13 November, 16h40 – 17h55, AgriZone Embrapa – Auditorium A2 
    with Philippe Mauguin, Chair & CEO of INRAE, and Suzanne Reynders, INRAE, coordinator of the Soil Carbon IRC
     
  • 4 per 1000: “Soil Carbon and Soil Health for the Future of Agriculture”
    18 November, 14h, AgriZone Embrapa 
    With Jean‑François Soussana, INRAE International Adviser and Chair of the High Council on Climate 
     
  • Review and Outlook of the International “4 per 1000’ Initiative”
    19 November, 16h – 17h30, FrancePavillon 
    With Jean‑François Soussana, INRAE International Adviser and Chair of the High Council on Climate pour le Climat

Find out more: 

Preventing Pandemics at the Source

The growing emergence of infectious diseases of animal origin underscores the urgency of addressing the environmental and agricultural drivers behind their spread. The international PREZODE initiative (PREventing ZOonotic Disease Emergence) works to prevent future pandemics by acting at the source—where human, animal, and environmental health intersect. Fully aligned with the One Health approach, it contributes to shaping international health security policies.

Launched in 2021 by INRAE, CIRAD, and the IRD, PREZODE now brings together over 200 institutions from 25 countries. The initiative mobilizes research to identify zoonotic risk factors, strengthen integrated surveillance systems, and co-develop prevention strategies with local actors, firmly grounded in their territorial realities. INRAE contributes its expertise in epidemiology, disease ecology, and the study of interactions linking agriculture, environment, and health. 

The PREZODE session at COP30

  • Prezode: “Linking Agriculture and Health: Cultivating Sustainable Futures for People, the Planet, and Nature”
    13 November, 16h – 17h, France Pavillon

For more information on PREZODE

Interactive timeline

Over 50 years of science for climate and biodiversity

Through the major milestones of global environmental diplomacy, this webdocument traces more than half a century of collective efforts to address the challenges of climate and biodiversity, highlighting INRAE’s contribution to this shared scientific and policy dynamic.