Reflections From Cop30 And The Road Ahead The Climate Registry

<img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9121 aligncenter" src="https://theclimateregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/P2A6708-640x427.jpg.webp" alt="" width="640" height="427" srcset="https://theclimateregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/P2A6708-640x427.jpg.webp 640w,https://theclimateregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/P2A6708-1440x960.jpg.webp 1440w,https://theclimateregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/P2A6708-768x512.jpg.webp 768w,https://theclimateregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/P2A6708-1536x1024.jpg.webp 1536w,https://theclimateregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/P2A6708-scaled.jpg.webp 2048w,https://theclimateregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/P2A6708-600x400.jpg.webp 600w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /> By: Ignacio Fernandez, Senior Policy Advisor Amid unprecedented expectations and a rapidly shrinking window to keep global warming below an additional 1.5°C, COP30 in Belém marked a pivotal moment for global climate action. While formal negotiations struggled to bridge political divides–especially on phasing out fossil fuels–countries, subnational governments, businesses, and civil society delivered an impressive array of initiatives across the Blue Zone. From major breakthroughs in adaptation finance to new sectoral commitments and innovative transition partnerships, the conference emphasized both the urgency and the opportunity of this decade. At COP30, The Climate Registry (TCR) led a delegation of over 50 climate leaders and hosted 26 events with partners in the US States’ Action on Climate (USA Climate) Pavilion.

Subnational, corporate, and NGO representatives highlighted the vital leadership of U.S. states and public-private sector partnerships in driving transparent, accountable climate action grounded in strong carbon disclosure and community-centered solutions. However, the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands announced they will co-host the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in April 2026. The event will convene a broad intergovernmental, multisectoral platform to identify legal, economic, and social pathways necessary for the global phase-out of fossil fuels. Author: Obroma Agumagu, PhD, Department of Environment and Geography Returning from COP30 in Belém, Brazil, I am filled with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency.

Given the person's pass for the second week, 17th-21st November, by the University of York at this historic conference was both an honour and a responsibility, especially at a moment when the world faces... COP30 was not just another milestone in the UN climate negotiations. Held at the heart of the Amazon, and coinciding with the halfway point to 2030, it brought into sharp focus two truths: Many of the key outcomes of COP30 are centred on accelerating implementation. Countries agreed on strengthened adaptation targets, clearer pathways for climate finance delivery, and a renewed commitment to phasing out fossil fuel dependence in line with IPCC science. For me, three outcomes resonated especially strongly:

In November 2025, the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil brought together the international climate community, but its outcomes revealed a world still deeply divided. While progress on adaptation frameworks and biodiversity linkages was made, the absence of a clear roadmap for fossil-fuel phase-out, the leadership vacuum left by the U.S., and sharp geopolitical tensions left the summit’s ambition... These reflections from scholars at Perry World House and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania examine both the cracks and the glimmers of hope emerging from COP30. At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, delegates faced a climate-diplomacy moment defined by paradox: a formal agreement was reached, signaling that the multilateral framework remains intact, yet the ambition necessary to hold global warming to... Scholars from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy highlight that the United States’ official absence left a gap in governance and finance, opening space for alternative... Meanwhile, the summit advanced notable adaptation-related milestones (including the Global Goal on Adaptation indicators) and brought climate, biodiversity, and desertification agendas closer together.

Yet the failure to secure a fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap underscores the fragility of international cooperation in an era of economic turbulence, rising nationalism, and power shifts among oil-and-gas states. Read more at the Perry World House site and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy blog for detailed perspectives on what COP30 accomplished, what it didn’t, and where the climate regime must go from... 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. The Pressure Cooker of Global Talks (Image Credits: Flickr) Belém, Brazil – In the sweltering heat of the Amazon region, negotiators wrapped up two intense weeks of talks that left the world buzzing with a mix of hope and hard questions. Picture this: world leaders from over 190 countries crammed into a city pulsing with rainforest energy, all racing against a ticking climate clock. Reports leading up to COP30 painted a grim picture, with global warming still barreling toward 2.3 degrees Celsius even after fresh national plans. Yet, the summit kicked off with bold calls from UN chief António Guterres for slashing emissions and unlocking trillions in finance for vulnerable nations.

Frustrations boiled over early, especially from small island states demanding a dedicated agenda spot to track progress toward 1.5 degrees. Instead of a full overhaul, talks pivoted to informal consultations, blending hot-button issues like ambition and adaptation. It felt like a high-wire act, balancing urgency with diplomacy. Still, these early tensions set the stage for compromises that, while not perfect, nudged the needle forward. In writing this post, I am using Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats to ensure different perspectives on CoP 30. Here is a link to a video briefly outlining the hats and why they are used.

We’ve got used to the post-CoP hangover. Negotiations go late into the last scheduled night, and when any written agreements emerge, they are replete with compromise. Donning Edward de Bono’s black hat evokes the perspective that we have been here before and these global talk fests just produce a lot of CO2.The failure to secure a universal fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap... If you are from one of the smaller nations of the world, such as the Pacific Island states, you have much to lose, all the more frustrating when you have done very little to... Global warming remains an existential threat! New Zealand sent a delegation, but what was the point?

Our government did not join the 83 countries calling for a fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap. COP30 left people feeling conflicted. Many are disappointed by the failure to secure clear language around fossil fuel phase-out, establish a tangible plan to protect biodiversity, and deliver commitments for adaptation funding. The pace of progress also remains too slow for communities already experiencing severe climate impacts, a reality brought into sharp focus by the voices of Indigenous leaders attending this conference in the heart of... These concerns are valid, and they were widely felt throughout the conference. Despite these challenges and the frustrations voiced throughout the negotiations, there were several developments that point to deeper shifts in global climate policy.

They also touch on areas that Climate Strategies has been pursuing over the last twenty years: advancing climate and trade integration, supporting fossil fuel transitions, and embedding justice and equity at the centre of... 1. The Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT) The global trade system is a powerful tool for tackling the climate crisis. In recent years, we have seen a proliferation of Trade-Related Climate Measures (TrCMs)—such as the EU CBAM. These policies signal the climate ambition of many nations, but they have far-reaching consequences, particularly for developing countries.

By centring cooperation, countries could create mutually beneficial and justice-centered TrCMs— bolstering joint climate action and delivering sustainable development. 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

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