World leaders gathered in Belém for a second day of climate talks ahead of COP30, rallying behind Brazilian President Lula's call for a "roadmap" to end deforestation, reduce fossil-fuel dependence and mobilise finance. Speakers warned the 1.5°C Paris target is likely to be missed, while keeping the 2°C fallback alive. The meeting highlighted tensions from absences of major emitters, Brazil's newly authorised offshore oil exploration, and renewed focus on cutting methane and implementing national pledges. Negotiators face the challenge of turning declarations into concrete action amid economic and geopolitical headwinds.
Leaders Turn Up Pressure on Fossil Fuels at Amazon Climate Summit as COP30 Looms
World leaders gathered in Belém for a second day of climate talks ahead of COP30, rallying behind Brazilian President Lula's call for a "roadmap" to end deforestation, reduce fossil-fuel dependence and mobilise finance. Speakers warned the 1.5°C Paris target is likely to be missed, while keeping the 2°C fallback alive. The meeting highlighted tensions from absences of major emitters, Brazil's newly authorised offshore oil exploration, and renewed focus on cutting methane and implementing national pledges. Negotiators face the challenge of turning declarations into concrete action amid economic and geopolitical headwinds.
10:34, 07.11.2025Environment
Leaders press for fossil-fuel phaseout at Amazon talks
World leaders and ministers reconvened for a second day of climate talks in Belém, Brazil, on Friday after a fiery opening session that renewed criticism of major oil and gas companies ahead of the United Nations' COP30 conference. Delegations from Europe, small island states and other nations rallied around Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s call for a clear "roadmap" to halt deforestation, cut dependence on fossil fuels and unlock the finance needed to meet those goals.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and several national leaders warned that the world is likely to miss the Paris Agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5°C, set a decade ago, though many said they remain committed to the fallback goal of holding warming to 2°C. Speakers highlighted stark evidence of climate breakdown: the past 11 years have been the hottest on record, with more intense hurricanes, heatwaves and wildfires.
Absences, tensions and competing priorities
The talks were shadowed by the absence of leaders from some of the world’s largest emitters — notably the United States — where President Donald Trump has publicly dismissed mainstream climate science. That gap has intensified calls for greater global mobilisation, even as economic pressures, trade disputes and geopolitical conflicts have pushed fossil-fuel transition plans down many national agendas.
Two years after COP28 in Dubai produced an unprecedented pledge to "transition away" from oil, gas and coal, progress has been uneven. The Trump administration’s push to expand fossil-fuel production and Brazil’s recent authorisation for state oil company offshore exploration in the Amazon underscore the political challenges ahead.
Roadmap gains international backing
Lula’s proposed roadmap drew applause from a coalition that includes European countries and vulnerable small island states. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, condemned the "large polluters" who "continue to deliberately destroy our marine and terrestrial environments with their poisonous fossil-fuel gases."
European leaders argued the continent is already moving: despite internal divisions, EU members point to decades of falling greenhouse-gas emissions and an ambition to cut emissions by 90% by 2040. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said, "COP30 must send a clear message that the green transition is here to stay, and that fossil fuels have no future."
Focus on methane and national commitments
COP30 will scrutinise countries’ voluntary pledges and their implementation. Delegates flagged methane — a potent "super pollutant" and the main component of natural gas, prone to leaks — as a priority. "The world must pull the methane brake," said Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, a leading voice in climate diplomacy.
While a formal anti-fossil-fuel decision in Belém is unlikely because nearly 200 countries must reach consensus, the summit is expected to spotlight where countries stand on emissions cuts, methane mitigation and finance commitments.
As COP30 begins, negotiators will face the difficult task of translating high-level pledges into concrete policies amid competing domestic pressures and global geopolitical tensions.