Gloomy prospects for a planet on fire emerged from the 30th Conference of the Parties (Cop30) in Belém, Brazil, as the world's top climate diplomats managed to strike a fragile deal that keeps the fight for a livable future alive.
In stark contrast to what was expected, countries came together, united in their determination to tackle the existential threat posed by global warming, and resisted the pressure from powerful nations like Saudi Arabia to undermine efforts to limit carbon emissions. The UN's climate chief Simon Stiell acknowledged that this Cop had taken place in stormy political waters but said climate cooperation was still alive and kicking.
However, progress is being viewed as incremental at best and insufficient to tackle the rapidly accelerating climate crisis. Greenpeace International's deputy programme director Jasper Inventor described Cop30 as a "moment to move from negotiations to implementation" that slipped away, while the EU's environment commissioner Wopke Hoekstra expressed relief that a deal was reached but noted it wasn't perfect.
Despite acknowledging that many will be disappointed with the level of ambition in the agreement, Anna Åberg of the thinktank Chatham House welcomed that the talks did not collapse. But others were more critical - such as climate scientist James Dyke who branded the outcome "shameful" for lacking a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.
This fragile deal is unlikely to satisfy the demands of civil society, with Indigenous groups and activists taking issue with limited participation and the absence of direct references to fossil fuels. The frustration was palpable, as protesters marched in their tens of thousands to demand action on climate change and a shift towards renewable energy sources.
In stark contrast to what was expected, countries came together, united in their determination to tackle the existential threat posed by global warming, and resisted the pressure from powerful nations like Saudi Arabia to undermine efforts to limit carbon emissions. The UN's climate chief Simon Stiell acknowledged that this Cop had taken place in stormy political waters but said climate cooperation was still alive and kicking.
However, progress is being viewed as incremental at best and insufficient to tackle the rapidly accelerating climate crisis. Greenpeace International's deputy programme director Jasper Inventor described Cop30 as a "moment to move from negotiations to implementation" that slipped away, while the EU's environment commissioner Wopke Hoekstra expressed relief that a deal was reached but noted it wasn't perfect.
Despite acknowledging that many will be disappointed with the level of ambition in the agreement, Anna Åberg of the thinktank Chatham House welcomed that the talks did not collapse. But others were more critical - such as climate scientist James Dyke who branded the outcome "shameful" for lacking a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.
This fragile deal is unlikely to satisfy the demands of civil society, with Indigenous groups and activists taking issue with limited participation and the absence of direct references to fossil fuels. The frustration was palpable, as protesters marched in their tens of thousands to demand action on climate change and a shift towards renewable energy sources.
. I mean, it's not like they didn't get the message from all those protesters marching in the streets - we need real change, and fast 
! But no, instead of a bold plan to transition us away from fossil fuels, they settle for some half-baked deal that's more about maintaining the status quo. And don't even get me started on Saudi Arabia trying to pull a fast one 
... like, what's next? 
I'm not buying the narrative that this is some kind of victory because we didn't completely collapse. We need concrete action, not empty words 
. It's time to stop playing politics and get down to business - we're running out of time 
!
. Like, aren't we all on this together? We gotta start making some serious changes now. This COP30 might not have been the biggest win, but at least it didn't collapse, right? Fingers crossed that we can build on this and get things done before it's too late 
.
. It feels like we're just kicking the can down the road instead of taking action. I know some ppl are all about finding incremental solutions, but at what cost? We gotta think bigger here. The climate crisis is real, and it's time for us to take responsibility for our actions 
.
The fact that countries finally came together to agree on something is a good start, but let's be real... 30 years ago we're already dealing with the consequences of climate change 
. The real question is, what's next? Are we going to follow through on this deal or do we get back to business as usual? 
meanwhile cop30 is trying to pretend like they're doing something about it lol idk why anyone would be surprised that the deal wasn't perfect tho climate change is literally burning our planet to ashes what's the point of negotiating if we ain't gonna take drastic action? 
. I know some countries showed up with a united front, but let's be real, Saudi Arabia is still trying to undermine progress 
. And don't even get me started on fossil fuels... it's like, come on guys! We're supposed to be working towards a livable future, not perpetuating the problem 
cop30 might not have been the disaster everyone feared, but let's be real, it's still super inadequate 
️
. And honestly, I think the Indigenous groups and activists have a point when they say we need to listen to their voices and involve them more in these talks 
.
. It's like, if we can't do it now, when can we? 
. The fact that Indigenous groups aren't being represented or included in these discussions is a major concern... what about their perspective on this? We need to listen more than just talk 
.
. But hey, at least they didn't cave to Saudi Arabia and that's gotta count for something, right? 
Still, I'm keeping my expectations super low because we've been down this road before and it always ends up being a bit of a disappointment 
. It's like, fossil fuels are still getting greenlit left and right 
, and it feels like the clock is ticking away...
. I know some people are gonna be disappointed with the level of ambition in this deal, and honestly, I don't blame 'em. It feels like we're still playing catch-up here. Like, what even is a deal if it's not gonna include a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels? 
Anyway, glad the talks didn't collapse, I guess? 
. And don't even get me started on the EU's environment commissioner who's like "Yay, we got a deal! *sips champagne*" Um, isn't that kinda the problem? We're celebrating small victories while our planet is literally dying. The civil society crowd is right to be frustrated - this feels like more of the same old broken promises