Belém, Brazil – At COP30 the world received another set of new words and promises, but still no plan to deliver on what science demands, communities need and what countries have already agreed upon during previous negotiations.
The outcome contains positive elements regarding the climate justice that communities have long fought for, including guidelines for a just and orderly transition to renewable energy with the establishment of the Belem Action Mechanism (BAM), including strong language on Indigenous rights. This is an important signal that multilateralism can deliver – but a time-bound plan to wind down coal, oil, and gas is also urgently needed. Once again, countries leave with pledges on paper instead of the clear pathways, timelines, and funding required to get there and protect communities impacted by the climate crisis today. Whilst rich countries avoided concrete commitments and refused to end their dependence on fossil fuels.
Finance: When It’s Time To Pay Up, Ambition Disappears
Despite soaring rhetoric, wealthy countries failed to provide clarity on adaptation finance, the most urgent lifeline for communities already facing climate impacts. There is still no figure, no baseline, no guarantee of public finance, and now the timeline has been pushed back to 2035, making the balanced finance goal adopted last year even harder to achieve.
Frontline communities, including Indigenous and traditional peoples, are also and once again left waiting for direct access to finance while the EU, Japan, and Canada stalled progress. The EU in particular positioned itself as a climate leader while refusing to deliver on adaptation finance, and even threatening to walk out when asked to do its fair share.
People Power And Global Momentum: The Bright Spot Of Cop30
Outside the negotiating rooms, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities and youth made themselves impossible to ignore. Their leadership was one of the strongest forces at COP30. They showed what real climate leadership looks like.
Momentum for a fossil fuel phase-out is also accelerating rapidly. What began with Brazil calling for a roadmap has grown into support from almost 90 countries, backed by civil society and business leaders.
Now that this coalition exists, the next step must be turning momentum into a plan. The Colombia fossil fuel phase-out conference in April and the Colombia-Netherlands-Brazil process must deliver the substance, benchmarks, and institutional backing needed to shape a credible global phase-out roadmap.
350.org and its partners will continue pushing until commitments in these spaces and inside COPs match the courage and clarity seen on the streets of Belém.
The mitigation work program is in dispute, and the plenary has been suspended, which means it is unclear if it will be accepted if and when the plenary in Belém resumes. But this doesn’t impact the Multirão cover decision, which has been agreed on or the announcement of the fossil fuel phase-out roadmap.
QUOTES:
Ilan Zugman, Director for Latin America and Caribbean, 350.org:
“In Belém, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities and frontline leaders made the message clear: real climate action means ending fossil fuels and delivering the finance figure that communities need to survive. The lack of concrete commitments in the final text of COP30 shows us who is still benefiting from the delay: the fossil fuel industry and the ultra-rich, not those living the climate crisis every day. Yet the courage on the streets of Belém and the world has ignited global momentum: what began as a single country, Brazil, calling for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels has grown into a coalition of almost 90 countries pushing for it. The momentum is now unstoppable, starting with the fossil fuel phase-out conference in Colombia next April.”
Andreas Sieber, Associate Director Policy and Campaigns, 350.org:
“Belém didn’t stumble. COP30 was steered into a shortfall. President Lula and Minister Marina Silva showed real leadership on confronting fossil fuels. But the Presidency negotiating team retreated behind closed doors, smothering the multilateral spirit needed for higher ambition, while wealthy countries refused to put real finance on the table. Yet momentum was unmistakable: nearly 90 countries demanded a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, and the Just Transition Mechanism proved multilateralism can still deliver. Those roadmaps now need institutional backing. Brazil must work transparently with Colombia and Pacific hosts ahead of Pre-COP to turn momentum into substance. The world was ready to turn the page on fossil fuels; a few parties were not.”
Fanny Petitbon, France Team Lead at 350.org:
“In Belém, rich nations showed their unbearable hypocrisy: demanding ambition from those least responsible for the climate emergency, while systematically refusing to pay up their historical climate debt. The commitment to triple adaptation finance is weak, vague, and tragically late. When cyclones and droughts strike now, a 2035 deadline is a cruel joke. Self-proclaimed climate leaders like the EU, Japan, and Canada failed to adequately deliver for those already suffering, proving their leadership is hollow. In the meantime, they continue to pour billions of dollars into fossil fuel subsidies and to protect the privilege and interests of climate wreckers — the fossil fuel industries and the super-rich — by refusing to tax them to fund urgent climate action, despite strong public support.”
Fenton Lutunatabua, Pacific Team Lead at 350.org:
“With the Belem Action Mechanism, we‘re seeing progress. But without a transition away from fossil fuels, we’re stagnating at a time when our islands can’t afford even a small amount of delay. The COP30 statement does not mention a plan to end fossil fuels, nor does it allocate sufficient finance for frontline communities, and that casts a shadow over our time here in Belém. We need to address the obvious cause of the climate crisis and make sure everyday people are able to survive it. The closing window on 1.5℃ means we’re walking a fine line here between survival and climate catastrophe”.
Masayoshi Iyoda, Japan Campaigner at 350.org:
“COP30 in Belem is yet more proof that Japan fails to contribute to achieving the Paris 1.5 goal and protect Japanese people from the risk of climate disasters and the social and economic loss caused by addiction to fossil fuels. Japan did not play a role in supporting the transition away from fossils, but instead offered up greenwashing technologies and false solutions. Japan must immediately start increasing its climate finance support for adaptation, loss and damage, and tripling renewables.
A lack of ambition in Japanese climate policies is shown in Belem again and with the new coal-fired power plant project, GENESIS Matsushima, they are travelling in the wrong direction. A just roadmap of transitioning away from fossil fuels is what we need to respond to the science — not more investment in the most polluting industries.”
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