COP30 falls short, but a path forward takes shape

Delegates at the COP30 talks in Brazil. The final text omitted any firm commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Image- Agência Brasil - Oficial

Robin Hicks | Eco-Business

The highly fractious COP30 has concluded, with many calling it a disappointment. 

The final text omitted any firm commitment to phase out fossil fuels, and the summit's overwhelming influence by fossil fuel interests reinforced a sense that petro-states had prevailed.

But there are reasons for optimism. Colombia and the Netherlands, backed by 22 countries, have pledged to push ahead with an independent roadmap for a fossil fuel phaseout, beginning with a conference in April 2026. This parallel process could become a powerful counterweight to stalled COP negotiations, which are to take place in Türkiye in 2026. 

There were other pockets of progress. Civil society groups are celebrating the extension of the Just Transition Work Programme, which aims to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement justly and equitably for workers, communities, and Indigenous peoples. Negotiators also went some way towards operationalising the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage; the Mutirão decision calls for developing countries to mobilise US$1.3 trillion annually by 2035 and for a tripling of adaptation finance.

UN-Habitat’s latest analysis also reveals that the number of national climate plans with strong urban content nearly doubled ahead of COP30, signaling a fundamental shift in how nations view the pivotal role of cities in delivering climate resilience, mitigation, and just transitions. This was the subject of much discussion at our recently-concluded Cities: Possibilities Singapore and Malaysia editions.