The COP30 climate conference closed on Saturday with countries adopting a compromise deal that expands financial support for climate-vulnerable nations but fails to address fossil fuels, highlighting the widening rift over how the world should confront the accelerating climate crisis.
The agreement, brokered in Belém after negotiations spilled into overtime, calls for wealthy nations to triple adaptation finance by 2035 and launches a voluntary initiative aimed at speeding up national emissions-cutting efforts. But the summit ended without a plan to phase out or even reference coal, oil or gas – a core demand for many countries and civil society groups.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell praised delegates for reaching consensus despite a year marked by political tensions, economic uncertainty and the absence of the United States’ official delegation.
“We are not winning the climate fight,” he said. “But we are undeniably still in it, and fighting back.”
Brazil Secures Deal Amid Rising Tensions
Brazil, the COP30 host, pushed through the agreement after a tense final plenary in which Colombia, Panama and Uruguay objected to the lack of fossil-fuel language. While the presidency acknowledged the deal fell short for many, it said global cooperation was essential to keep climate diplomacy alive.
Brazilian COP President André Corrêa do Lago conceded the negotiations had been “tough” but insisted all sides had shown commitment to progress.
Fossil Fuel Fights Expose Fault Lines
Attempts by Latin American nations and the European Union to include a reference to transitioning away from fossil fuels were blocked by oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia. The standoff highlighted the deepening divide between countries calling for rapid decarbonisation and those defending hydrocarbons as part of their development models.
Russia accused dissenting countries of “behaving like children,” provoking strong reactions from several delegations and underscoring the charged atmosphere in the final hours.
With no consensus, Brazil moved debates on fossil fuels and forest protection into a separate “side text,” signalling these issues will dominate future negotiations rather than disappear.
Adaptation, Finance and Loss-and-Damage Take Center Stage
Developing countries, already struggling with rising seas, worsening droughts and more extreme weather, said the summit’s emphasis on finance was overdue. The deal urges rich nations to triple adaptation funding and improve access to climate finance streams that have historically been slow or overly bureaucratic.
Avinash Persaud of the Inter-American Development Bank welcomed the focus on funding but cautioned that support for loss-and-damage remains inadequate.
“The need for rapid-release finance for climate devastation is as urgent as ever,” he said.
Sierra Leone criticised the new list of indicators for climate preparedness as “unclear” and “unusable,” warning that poorly designed guidance could undermine national resilience planning.
A Mixed Outcome as Climate Risks Intensify
While the final agreement maintains global cooperation and provides a framework for scaling up climate finance, it exposes the limits of consensus-based diplomacy at a time when global warming is accelerating and impacts are worsening.
Countries leave Belém with larger financial pledges, new work programmes and a renewed process to align global trade with climate action but without a unified plan to confront the fossil fuels driving the crisis.
As COP30 concluded, many delegates acknowledged that the world is still struggling to match the pace and scale of climate change. The real test, they said, will be whether governments return next year with greater ambition – and fewer political red lines.
