Nearly 200 countries concluded the COP30 climate summit on Saturday with an agreement to accelerate global climate action, adopting measures aimed at narrowing the widening gap between current national efforts and what is required to limit warming to 1.5°C.
The final deal, however, avoids explicit reference to phasing out fossil fuels, a point of contention throughout two weeks of intense negotiations deep in the Amazon.
The eight-page declaration received cautious approval from nations that had pushed for a stronger, clearer commitment to transition away from oil, gas, and coal. Many delegates acknowledged that while the outcome falls short of expectations, it was preferable to leaving COP30 without any agreement at all.
Under the decision adopted Saturday, the COP presidency will lead a new voluntary initiative designed to speed up actions needed to keep global warming below the 1.5°C threshold established in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
A companion effort, called the “Belém Mission 1.5”, is intended to help countries deliver on their national emissions-reduction pledges.
Roughly 80 countries, along with the European Union, had pressed for a clearer roadmap to move the world away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy systems. Their demands faced resistance from major oil and gas producers, including states in the Middle East as well as Russia.
Supporters of the final text say it keeps space for additional guidance and cooperation on how nations will meet the two-year commitment made at COP28 in Dubai to transition global energy systems away from fossil fuels. The outcome, they argue, ensures the conversation continues rather than collapses.
The COP30 decision, formally dubbed Global Mutirão, a Brazilian expression for “collective action”, stops short of repeating the explicit language many countries sought regarding a fossil-fuel transition.
“The silence on fossil fuels is not enough,” said Harjeet Singh, founding director of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation.
COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago pledged to launch two follow-up “roadmap” initiatives in 2026: one for a “fair and orderly transition” away from fossil fuels, and another focused on combating deforestation.
“The initiatives will be science-based and inclusive,” he told delegates, earning extended applause in the packed closing session.
Energy and environment ministers ended the summit still grappling with difficult questions over the impact of trade policies on climate progress and how to dramatically increase financing to help vulnerable countries adapt to sea-level rise, stronger storms, and worsening droughts.
The decision calls for tripling adaptation finance by 2035 compared with 2025 levels, reaching roughly $120 billion. This falls short of demands from poorer nations, which had urged achieving that target by 2030.
In a nod to concerns from developing economies, the text criticizes unilateral trade measures, including carbon tariffs and border-adjustment mechanisms. It emphasizes that climate-related trade policies “must not constitute arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade.”
The language specifically responds to anxiety over the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which imposes extra costs on imports from countries with lower carbon-pricing structures.
Follow the latest news on Google News
