COP30 in Belém Falls Short: Final Text Sidesteps ‘Fossil Fuels’ and Timelines

The U.N. climate summit in Belém, Brazil — COP30 — arrived with high expectations: a location on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, broad Indigenous participation, and the backing of Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Many hoped the gathering would produce a decisive plan to slash reliance on oil, gas and coal. Instead, the final agreement was widely criticized as diluted and avoided naming "fossil fuels" or setting timelines for their phase-down.

High hopes, symbolic setting

Organizers and advocates framed COP30 as an opportunity to bring global attention to the Amazon, a vital carbon sink and home to many Indigenous communities directly affected by climate change. Early in the talks, more than 80 countries called for a concrete road map to rapidly reduce extraction and use of oil, gas and coal.

President Lula’s speeches during the opening days amplified those expectations. He declared the planet could no longer sustain a development model dependent on intensive fossil fuel use and asserted that "the fossil fuel era is drawing to a close," a striking stance from the leader of a major oil-producing nation that has also taken steps to curb Amazon deforestation.

From momentum to compromise

Despite early momentum, negotiations stalled. A fire at the venue forced evacuations and cost negotiators crucial time. Initial drafts of the final decision were rejected by blocs including the European Union, several Latin American countries and Pacific island states because they did not single out fossil fuels or include clear timelines for phasing them down.

"A climate decision that cannot even say 'fossil fuels' is not neutrality, it is complicity," said Panama negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez. "Science has been deleted from COP30 because it offends the polluters."

After an all-night negotiating session, delegates produced a revised text that included measures such as increased funding for adaptation in developing countries but still omitted explicit language naming fossil fuels. Activists and many delegations blamed the influence of major oil-producing states that have historically resisted binding timelines to reduce fossil fuel production and consumption.

Reaction and next steps

COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago opened the closing plenary by adopting the text and saying discussions on fossil fuels would continue, noting plans to work with Colombia on a potential road map. Many countries publicly registered their objections in the meeting record; several, including Colombia, rejected the final outcome outright.

Critics warned the watered-down result could further erode confidence in the consensus-driven U.N. process at a time when global greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb and extreme weather events intensify. Supporters of the conference’s modest wins pointed to greater adaptation funding as progress, but most observers said the summit fell short of the bold action scientists say is needed.

Attention now turns to COP31 in Turkey, where governments, civil society and vulnerable nations will push to restore momentum and secure clearer commitments on energy transitions and emissions reductions.

Contributors

Reporting and contributions by Seth Borenstein, Melina Walling and Anton Delgado. Story prepared by Peter Prengaman.