Brazil hosts the world's nations in climate talks, but deal falls short on fossil fuel phaseout
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil has concluded with a modest agreement that fails to address one of its most pressing issues: phasing out fossil fuels. After two weeks of tense negotiations between nearly 200 countries, the conference ended with a consensus decision, but without a comprehensive plan to transition away from oil, coal, and gas.
The European Union (EU) had pushed for a deal that included a "roadmap" to phase out fossil fuels, but the agreement instead calls on countries to voluntarily "accelerate" their climate action. The EU's climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, acknowledged that his bloc had not achieved its desired outcome and called the deal "not perfect, but a huge step in the right direction."
The omission of fossil fuel phaseout from the agreement has been criticized by environmental groups and countries like France, which had accused oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Russia of refusing to engage on the issue. French ecological transition minister Monique Barbut warned that countries would reject any deal without a plan to move away from fossil fuels.
Despite the disappointment, the agreement does include some notable breakthroughs, such as efforts to "at least triple" adaptation finance by 2035 and the launch of roadmaps to halt deforestation and transition away from fossil fuels. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed the deal as a success, saying that "science prevailed and multilateralism won."
The absence of the United States at the conference was also a significant factor, with President Donald Trump opting not to attend due to concerns about climate change. The absence of key players like China and India has raised questions about the effectiveness of international cooperation on this critical issue.
While some have welcomed the deal as a step forward, others are left feeling disappointed that negotiators failed to agree on a more comprehensive plan to address the root causes of climate change. As one negotiator from Bangladesh noted, "our fight will continue."
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil has concluded with a modest agreement that fails to address one of its most pressing issues: phasing out fossil fuels. After two weeks of tense negotiations between nearly 200 countries, the conference ended with a consensus decision, but without a comprehensive plan to transition away from oil, coal, and gas.
The European Union (EU) had pushed for a deal that included a "roadmap" to phase out fossil fuels, but the agreement instead calls on countries to voluntarily "accelerate" their climate action. The EU's climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, acknowledged that his bloc had not achieved its desired outcome and called the deal "not perfect, but a huge step in the right direction."
The omission of fossil fuel phaseout from the agreement has been criticized by environmental groups and countries like France, which had accused oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Russia of refusing to engage on the issue. French ecological transition minister Monique Barbut warned that countries would reject any deal without a plan to move away from fossil fuels.
Despite the disappointment, the agreement does include some notable breakthroughs, such as efforts to "at least triple" adaptation finance by 2035 and the launch of roadmaps to halt deforestation and transition away from fossil fuels. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed the deal as a success, saying that "science prevailed and multilateralism won."
The absence of the United States at the conference was also a significant factor, with President Donald Trump opting not to attend due to concerns about climate change. The absence of key players like China and India has raised questions about the effectiveness of international cooperation on this critical issue.
While some have welcomed the deal as a step forward, others are left feeling disappointed that negotiators failed to agree on a more comprehensive plan to address the root causes of climate change. As one negotiator from Bangladesh noted, "our fight will continue."
... Like, we're talking about saving the planet and all is just 'accelerating' our efforts? Where's the concrete plan to shut down fossil fuels? It feels like we're just kicking the can down the road. And that EU commissioner is being super optimistic – "huge step in the right direction"? 
Come on, guys... We need real action, not feel-good words. The fact that Saudi Arabia and Russia didn't even bother showing up to the table is just a major blow 
. I mean, what's next? Just going to let China and India do their own thing and hope for the best? It's all pretty disheartening...
This COP30 in Brazil is like, super underwhelming for me 
I get that countries are trying to be diplomatic and all, but phasing out fossil fuels should've been a non-negotiable deal 
. It's weird that the EU didn't push harder for something concrete instead of just accelerating their climate action like it's 2008 
. I mean, we need more than just a roadmap, we need actual actions being taken ASAP 
. France is totally right to call out Saudi Arabia and Russia for not playing ball 
. Can't wait to see how this all plays out in the coming years... or if we'll be still stuck on fossil fuels 
. I mean I guess tripled adaptation finance by 2035 sounds like a good start, but it's all about the big picture here...
they wanted to include a roadmap for countries to transition away from oil coal gas but europe just kinda fell short 
i feel bad for france and ecotransition min barbut though she's all like "no way we won't agree on anything without it" 
. I wonder if they'll ever invent some kinda clean energy that's super cheap and easy to use... maybe one day we'll have flying cars too 
lol just kidding about that one 
like wut is up with that?! i know the eu was pushing for it hard but i guess they just couldn't get countries to agree 
but cmon folks we cant afford to be slow on climate change 
. anyway, it looks like the fight will continue and im all for it 
lets get this party started! 
. But at least there are some positive moves, like tripling adaptation finance by 2035 
. It's also dope that Brazil's President Lula da Silva is all about multilateralism 
. We need to see more concrete action on this ASAP 
. I know the EU was pushing hard for a deal that included a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels and it's sad to hear they didn't quite get there 
. We need more people like Brazil's President Lula who's actually doing something about climate change 
.
... like those roadmaps to transition away from fossil fuels and all that adaptation finance stuff 
come on fam, like what's the point of even havin a climate confrence if we ain't gonna do nothin about fossil fuels?! 
i mean, 2035 to "at least triple" adaptation finance? that's not exactly what i'd call a bold move 
it's like we're all just playin along, hopin someone else will fix the problem 
meanwhile, our future is hangin in the balance 
. We really need to start valuing science and data-driven decision making over politics and profit interests. Anyways, I'm not giving up on this fight 
. We need concrete action, not empty promises 
. Can't we all just get along and try to save the planet for once? 
. I get that some people might be skeptical about international cooperation, but come on, we need to work together if we wanna save the planet 
and France is like, "hey, can we at least get a plan?" but nope, not good enough 
Still, I guess it's better than nothing, and those efforts to triple adaptation finance by 2035 are a step in the right direction. We need all the help we can get with climate change, so let's take what we can get! 
. like, come on guys, we're one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases... shouldn't we be leading the charge on this thing? 
but that's not really gonna make a dent in the grand scheme of things if we're not phasing out those fossil fuels ASAP 
and deforestation is getting some love