In a pivotal outcome at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, countries agreed on a sweeping package to scale up climate finance and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement - but without a clear commitment to move away from fossil fuels.
What was decided:
- Finance at scale: Mobilize 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate action, with developed countries taking the lead.
- Adaptation boost: Double adaptation finance by 2025 and triple by 2035.
- Loss and damage fund: Operationalization and replenishment cycles confirmed.
- New initiatives: Launch of the Global Implementation Accelerator and Belém Mission to 1.5°C to drive ambition and implementation.
- Climate disinformation: Commitment to promote information integrity and counter false narratives.
The final decision emphasizes solidarity and investment, setting ambitious financial targets while leaving energy transition language off the table. The burning of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases that are by far the largest contributors to global warming, making this omission a point of concern for many nations, including negotiators from South America and the EU, as well as civil society groups.
This is the first COP held in the Amazon and the first since the UN warned that the record increase in greenhouse gas levels means it will be "virtually impossible" to limit global warming to 1.5 °C in the next few years without temporarily overshooting the Paris Agreement target.
A closer look
After two weeks of intense negotiations, the text calls for mobilizing at least $1.3 trillion per year by 2035 for climate action, alongside tripling adaptation finance and operationalizing the loss and damage fund agreed at COP28.
It also launches two major initiatives - the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Belém Mission to 1.5°C - to help countries deliver on their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and adaptation plans.
For the first time, the decision acknowledges the need to tackle climate disinformation, pledging to promote information integrity and counter narratives that undermine science-based action.
Last week, Brazil's President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, opened the summit declaring it would be known as "the COP of truth," and this decision marks a significant step toward safeguarding public trust in climate policy - even as the absence of fossil fuel transition language underscores the political complexity of energy negotiations.
Two new roadmaps
In the closing meeting, COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago acknowledged what was left out of the deal:
"We know some of you had greater ambitions for some of the issues at hand," he said, adding, "I know the youth civil society will demand us to do more to fight climate change. I want to reaffirm that I will try not to disappoint you during my presidency."
Reflecting on President Lula's call at the opening of COP30 for ambition, Mr. do Lago announced plans to create two roadmaps: one to halt and reverse deforestation; and another to transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner, mobilizing resources for these purposes in a "just and planned manner."
