Crandi

Cop30 Outcomes Draw Global Criticism As Scientists Warn Climate Action

Leo Migdal
-
cop30 outcomes draw global criticism as scientists warn climate action

• COP30 ended without a roadmap to phase out coal, oil and gas, despite support from more than 80 countries.• Governments backed climate finance ambitions of $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries by 2035,... COP30 closed with a sense of unfinished work and deep frustration from scientists, European officials, and climate NGOs, after negotiators failed for a second consecutive year to include any reference to phasing out fossil... What emerged instead was a patchwork of voluntary initiatives that many experts say does not match the accelerating pace of climate impacts or geopolitical fragmentation. “COP30 has not been marked by groundbreaking agreements,” said Ottmar Edenhofer, head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). “Countries are making insufficient pledges, and even these commitments are not being honoured.” Delegates spent two weeks debating adaptation, rainforest protection, climate finance and cooperation frameworks.

Yet the most politically charged topic — fossil fuels — stalled again. Claudia Kemfert of the German economic institute DIW called the outcome “disappointing,” adding that the talks ended “without a roadmap for phasing out coal, oil and gas,” despite broad support from a coalition of... German ministers were blunt in their assessments. Environment minister Carsten Schneider said the conference “was good in terms of implementation, but not good enough in terms of the outcome of the negotiations,” adding that resistance from the “old, fossil fuel-based world”... COP30’s long-anticipated Global Mutirão package delivers a mixed bag of results, with mentions of fossil fuel phaseout completely absent from the final text. Indigenous peoples and civil society voices call out a “People’s COP” undermined by incidents of state-led repression and lip service on inclusion in decision-making.

Brazil and Columbia set the tone for independent, coalition-based action to address fossil fuels amid UNFCCC negotiation breakdown. Türkiye and Australia strike a shaky deal on COP31 hosting rights, with the fate of Pacific SIDS left hanging in the balance. This year’s UN Climate Change Conference, taking place at the edge of the Brazilian Amazon, set out with high hopes, aiming to restore faith in a multilateral system under unprecedented pressure at a moment... Two weeks later, the curtain has finally come down on COP30, colored by novel initiatives, last-minute deadlocks, extreme weather, a sudden fire and civil society pushback. The 2025 UN climate talks wrapped on Saturday, Nov. 22 after negotiations pushed into overtime.

The resulting decision secured some important wins, both inside and outside the negotiations. But it omitted some of the big-ticket items many hoped to see. With efforts to halt temperature rise severely off track and climate disasters becoming ever-more destructive, the summit (COP30) aimed to establish clear pathways to deliver past pledges and put the world on a safer... A key question was how countries would address lagging ambition in their new climate commitments (NDCs). Hopes that countries would commit to roadmaps to end fossil fuel use and halt deforestation were ultimately dashed after opposition from petrostates. The final decision only included new voluntary initiatives to accelerate national climate action, though the Brazilian Presidency intends to move forward with fossil fuel and deforestation roadmaps outside of the formal COP talks.

Building resilience to climate impacts took center stage, with COP30 securing a new target to triple finance for climate adaptation. The COP also laid out practical solutions to increase finance for the low-carbon transition. In an era of trade wars and tariffs, negotiators also agreed for the first time to hold discussions on how trade policies can help — or hinder — climate action. Against the backdrop of the Amazon, nature also saw advances, including a new fund for tropical forest conservation. Indigenous Peoples and other local communities were recognized like never before. And outside the formal negotiations, the summit saw a raft of new pledges and action plans from cities, states, countries and the private sector.

It is clear that we are moving from negotiations to implementation, and from wrangling over what to do to how to do it. These victories matter. It shows that international cooperation can still deliver, despite deepening divides on climate action and a difficult geopolitical context. COP30 left many countries disappointed because no new road maps were created to help nations transition away from fossil fuels.Credit: Wagner Meier/Getty Ten years after the Paris agreement was adopted, world leaders left the United Nations COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, with an outcome that kept the process alive but does little to stave off... Many scientists walked away dismayed and disappointed.

Despite years of commitments and research that have laid the groundwork for action, the climate summit achieved “essentially nothing”, says Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. But, there were some signs of hope that multilateralism can tackle climate change. Over the course of two weeks, representatives from nearly 200 governments worked through hot days, long nights, a fire in the venue and numerous protests — including by Indigenous groups and others fighting for... Heatwaves linked to emissions of individual fossil-fuel and cement producers COP30 President President André Corrêa do Lago at a critical moment in the final plenary session of talks In three decades of these meetings aimed at forging global consensus on how to prevent and deal with global warming, this will go down as among the most divisive.

Many countries were livid when COP30 in Belém, Brazil ended on Saturday with no mention of the fossil fuels that have heated up the atmosphere. Other nations - particularly those with most to gain from their continued production - felt vindicated. The summit was a reality check on just how much global consensus has broken down over what to do about climate change. Here are five key takeaways from what some have called the "COP of truth". The Warrick Power Plant, a coal-powered generating station, operates April 8, 2025, in Newburgh, Ind. (AP Photo/Joshua A.

Bickel, File) Activists participate in a demonstration outside where negotiations are taking place at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Simon Stiell, United Nations climate chief, speaks during a news conference at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Trees surround the area of a quilombola, an Afro-descendant community called Menino Jesus in Acara, Brazil, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.

(AP Photo/Fernando Llano) André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 president, center, and Simon Stiell, United Nations climate chief, front left, speak with staff during a plenary session at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

People Also Search

• COP30 Ended Without A Roadmap To Phase Out Coal,

• COP30 ended without a roadmap to phase out coal, oil and gas, despite support from more than 80 countries.• Governments backed climate finance ambitions of $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries by 2035,... COP30 closed with a sense of unfinished work and deep frustration from scientists, European officials, and climate NGOs, after negotiators failed for a second consecutive year to inc...

Yet The Most Politically Charged Topic — Fossil Fuels —

Yet the most politically charged topic — fossil fuels — stalled again. Claudia Kemfert of the German economic institute DIW called the outcome “disappointing,” adding that the talks ended “without a roadmap for phasing out coal, oil and gas,” despite broad support from a coalition of... German ministers were blunt in their assessments. Environment minister Carsten Schneider said the conference “wa...

Brazil And Columbia Set The Tone For Independent, Coalition-based Action

Brazil and Columbia set the tone for independent, coalition-based action to address fossil fuels amid UNFCCC negotiation breakdown. Türkiye and Australia strike a shaky deal on COP31 hosting rights, with the fate of Pacific SIDS left hanging in the balance. This year’s UN Climate Change Conference, taking place at the edge of the Brazilian Amazon, set out with high hopes, aiming to restore faith i...

The Resulting Decision Secured Some Important Wins, Both Inside And

The resulting decision secured some important wins, both inside and outside the negotiations. But it omitted some of the big-ticket items many hoped to see. With efforts to halt temperature rise severely off track and climate disasters becoming ever-more destructive, the summit (COP30) aimed to establish clear pathways to deliver past pledges and put the world on a safer... A key question was how ...

Building Resilience To Climate Impacts Took Center Stage, With COP30

Building resilience to climate impacts took center stage, with COP30 securing a new target to triple finance for climate adaptation. The COP also laid out practical solutions to increase finance for the low-carbon transition. In an era of trade wars and tariffs, negotiators also agreed for the first time to hold discussions on how trade policies can help — or hinder — climate action. Against the b...