COP30 final agreement omits fossil fuels

Belém, Brazil—The agreement that emerged on Saturday from this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit in Brazil included more money for low-income countries’ climate adaptation efforts and a nod to protecting workers and communities from unintended consequences of the transition to a greener economy, such as unemployment or new sources of pollution. But the final text lacked any explicit mention of the fossil fuels that the global economy is meant to be transitioning away from. In addition, while the summit was branded the “rainforest COP,” the agreement lacked a concrete plan to end deforestation. Instead, Brazil, Colombia, and others are now organizing voluntary initiatives, outside the official UN process, for those looking to end both deforestation and the use of fossil fuels.Despite these splintering efforts, UN officials held up the talks as a sign of life for multilateralism and for the international fight against climate change.“We knew this COP would take place in stormy political waters. Denial, division, and geopolitics has dealt international cooperation some heavy blows this year. But friends: COP30 showed that climate cooperation is alive and kicking, keeping humanity in the fight for a livable planet,” said Simon Steill, executive secretary of the UNFCCC, in a written statement on Saturday. “I’m not saying we’re winning the climate fight. But we are undeniably still in it.” Rising temperaturesSequestered inside a giant tent stretched over the tarmac of a former airport turned city park in Belém, Brazil, the