The UN climate summit in Belém, Brazil wrapped today with mixed results.
COP30 delivered a major win for climate resilience and saw important progress on tropical forests, local climate action and other key issues. But hoped-for roadmaps to eliminate fossil fuels and end deforestation did not materialize.
Following is an excerpt from a statement by WRI President & CEO Ani Dasgupta:
“COP30 delivered breakthroughs to triple adaptation finance, protect the world’s forests and elevate the voices of Indigenous Peoples like never before. This shows that even against a challenging geopolitical backdrop, international climate cooperation can still deliver results.
“But many will leave Belém disappointed that negotiators couldn't agree to develop a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels. More than 80 countries stood their ground for a fair and equitable shift off fossil fuels, but intense lobbying from a few petrostates weakened the deal.
"At the last minute, negotiators incorporated a reference to a previous agreement on accelerating the climate transition in multiple sectors, and the Brazilian Presidency announced it would create fossil fuel and deforestation roadmaps outside of the formal negotiations. Now it’s up to President Lula and the Brazilian COP presidency to turn that into a strong and inclusive global plan to transition away from fossil fuels. An equally robust global plan for halting and reversing deforestation is just as essential.”
