COP30 in Belém: A Turning Point Amidst a Weak Agreement
24.11.2025
The COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, concluded with a broadly criticized agreement that avoided any direct reference to fossil fuels, marking a victory for major oil producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia. The watered-down text fell short of delivering a concrete roadmap for transitioning away from coal, oil, and gas, despite urgent warnings from scientists about the accelerating impacts of climate change, including deadly heatwaves, floods, and deforestation. The United States did not participate, and China remained largely silent, leaving a leadership vacuum that highlighted the widening gap between scientific urgency and political action.
Yet, beneath the official outcome, historic shifts took place. For the first time, a COP President openly challenged the limits of consensus, publicly endorsing Colombia’s proposal to host the world’s first Global Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Conference in 2026, co-hosted with the Netherlands. This initiative, supported by over 85 countries, aims to develop a science-based roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels and halting deforestation outside the constraints of the official COP process. Colombia, an oil-producing nation, notably led efforts to demand more ambitious action, demonstrating the growing willingness of frontline and Latin American nations to drive climate progress.
The summit also showcased the rising role of subnational actors. Cities and regional governments, including California and 143 other jurisdictions, formally endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative, creating alternative pathways for climate action when global consensus falters. Indigenous voices, scientists, and civil society activists amplified the urgency, highlighting the reality of climate impacts on the ground and refusing to be silenced by political compromise.
COP30 may be remembered not for the weak official agreement, but for the cracks it exposed in the traditional UN process and the parallel paths it opened: a global coalition of willing countries and subnational actors committed to ending fossil fuel dependence and protecting forests. The challenge ahead is translating this momentum into tangible, equitable action before the climate crisis worsens.
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Written by: Pia Lovengreen Alessi
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bearak, M., & Friedman, L. (2025, November 22). Oil producers, but maybe not the planet, get a win as climate talks end. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/climate/cop30-climate-summit-ends-belem.html?campaign_id=54&emc=edit_clim_20251123&instance_id=166963&nl=climate-forward®i_id=74561967&segment_id=211136&user_id=297bf49ee9aa0f20be95a93b8e026dfd
We Don’t Have Time. (2025, November 21). COP30: The fossil fuel era is ending – two parallel pathways to phase-out finally opened. https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/858a41f1-980b-47d0-b39d-7d68c9af9e72
Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative. (2025). COP30 — The Fossil Fuel Non‑Proliferation Treaty Initiative. Retrieved fromhttps://fossilfueltreaty.org/cop30