Crandi

Fossil Fuels Win Climate Ambition Wait Key Takeaways From Cop30 In Bel

Leo Migdal
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fossil fuels win climate ambition wait key takeaways from cop30 in bel

COP30 opened in Belém with high expectations. Brazil positioned COP30 as a moment to center forests, equity, and real-world implementation after years of slow progress. Delegates and observers arrived hoping for breakthroughs on fossil fuels, deforestation, emissions reductions, and climate finance, four areas that define the credibility of global climate action. As negotiations unfolded, however, the mood shifted. Progress was made, but not on the issues many considered most urgent. What emerged was a mixed outcome: enough substance to show that multilateral climate diplomacy remains alive, yet it fell well short of delivering the robust, science-aligned commitments needed to shift the world decisively onto...

Need the Gist? Swipe through the visuals below for a quick summary! The clearest disappointment came in the area where expectations were highest. Despite widespread public pressure and support from more than 80 countries, the final text made no reference to phasing out or even phasing down fossil fuels. Instead, negotiators agreed on generic language urging emissions reductions and low-carbon development. This omission became the defining symbol of the summit’s limitations, highlighting how lobbyists can constrain the most fundamental step needed to meet global climate goals.

In response to this failure, COP30 President announced it would lead the development of 2 voluntary roadmaps outside the formal UN process: one on the transition away from fossil fuels and one on halting... 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 most important thing to come out of COP30 is that the climate 'ship' is still afloat 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 has delivered its share of challenges and negotiations, but real questions about the future of global climate action remain. From the contentious issue of fossil fuel phaseouts to the ongoing discussions around carbon markets, this year’s summit brought attention to both the urgent need for action and the complexities of international compromise. My question: what can we realistically expect from the outcomes? Here's a few of my thoughts as we await final texts. As negotiations continue into the weekend, delegates are working toward a resolution on major issues: funding for adaptation, accountability on climate finance, and addressing the root causes of the climate crisis—fossil fuels and deforestation. These must be handled in a just manner that doesn’t exacerbate debt.

Right now, a roadmap to phase down fossil fuels appears to be off the table, as it’s been left out of the updated leaked text. For many large fossil producers and consumers, any mention of a phaseout is a dealbreaker. However, for at least 29 countries, this issue may be non-negotiable. Earlier this week, I wrote: if delegates aren't willing to consider eventual decarbonisation, what’s the point? Fossil fuels are undeniably one of the primary causes of rising CO2 emissions, and there is no quick fix for total decarbonisation (something I’ve learned over nearly three years in the carbon removal field). The agenda at COP30 has shifted as negotiations have advanced in some areas and stalled in others.

The main objective for delegates remains to agree (and compromise) on a resolution for next year’s climate action. There were many issues on the table this year, with notable participation from civil society, but has COP30 lived up to being the ‘implementation COP’? I’m not so sure. The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), held in Belém, Brazil, was widely framed as a summit of implementation, emphasizing turning climate commitments into tangible action. Unlike previous conferences, where headline pledges dominated discussions, COP30 focused on concrete mechanisms to deliver measurable results. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Belém Package, a set of 29 decisions covering adaptation, just transition, gender, trade, technology, and more.

A key highlight was the commitment to triple adaptation finance by 2035, aimed at helping vulnerable countries build resilience against the growing impacts of climate change. To track progress, countries agreed on 59 voluntary indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation, covering sectors including water, health, and ecosystems. This move reflects an increasing emphasis on accountability and measurable outcomes in international climate negotiations. Two flagship mechanisms were launched to bridge the gap between pledges and implementation. The Global Implementation Accelerator aims to help countries scale up their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans, ensuring that climate strategies move from paper to action. Meanwhile, the Belém Mission to 1.5°C serves as a multiyear platform to maintain momentum toward the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C goal.

These mechanisms signal a shift toward operationalizing climate commitments, providing countries with tools, guidance, and support to implement existing plans. Equity and inclusion were central themes at COP30. A Just Transition Mechanism was agreed upon to protect workers, Indigenous communities, and marginalized populations as economies shift away from fossil fuels. A new Gender Action Plan was also adopted to promote gender-responsive climate policies and strengthen the participation of rural, and Indigenous women in climate action. By integrating social and economic considerations, COP30 emphasized that climate action must be both effective and equitable. Forest protection was another priority.

The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) was launched to provide financial incentives to countries that preserve standing tropical forests, signaling a recognition of the economic value of intact ecosystems. However, the summit stopped short of adopting a formal zero-deforestation roadmap in the official COP text, prompting some observers to call for stronger commitments to halt deforestation. The UN climate summit COP30 in Belem, Brazil concluded with a deal that disappointed many nations pushing for stronger action on fossil fuels, BBC reports. The final text, known as the Mutirao, avoided direct reference to phasing out oil, coal, and gas. Despite the setbacks, negotiators secured several commitments related to finance, forests, and climate adaptation. Here are the ten main points that define the COP30 outcome.

1. No Direct Fossil Fuel Phase Out Commitment More than 80 countries, including the UK and EU, wanted COP30 to strengthen global commitments to move away from fossil fuels. Oil producing nations resisted, insisting on the right to use their natural resources to grow their economies. The final agreement contains no explicit fossil fuel phase out language, a major source of frustration for vulnerable nations. The deal calls on countries to voluntarily accelerate their action to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

This soft approach replaces the stronger language many nations hoped for. The voluntary nature of the pledge raises concerns about uneven implementation and limited accountability. 3. Reference to the UAE Agreement but No Strengthening A voluntary plan to curb fossil fuels, a goal to triple adaptation finance and new efforts to “strengthen” climate targets have been launched at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. After all-night negotiations in the Amazonian city of Belém, the Brazilian presidency released a final package termed the “global mutirão” – a name meaning “collective efforts”.

It was an attempt to draw together controversial issues that had divided the fortnight of talks, including finance, trade policies and meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C temperature goal. A “mechanism” to help ensure a “just transition” globally and a set of measures to track climate-adaptation efforts were also among COP30’s notable outcomes. Scores of nations that had backed plans to “transition away” from fossil fuels and “reverse deforestation” instead accepted COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago’s compromise proposal of “roadmaps” outside the formal UN regime.

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