COP30 closes, with a whimper

Despite calls from the EU and others, the main text adopted by the UN climate summit held in Belém, Brazil does not explicitly mention fossil fuels. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the deal strengthens rich country aid for climate adaptation, but remains vague on unilateral trade measures.
22 November 2025 at 20h29
Energy
COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, during the summit's closing plenary. Ueslei Marcelino/COP30
by Damien Genicot, Victor Roux-Goeken Adapted from French by Jack Schickler

The 30th international conference under the UN climate change convention, held in Belém, Brazil, ended on the afternoon of 22 November.

Despite a cluster of texts adopted as a Belém political package , the mood was far from festive.

The most eagerly awaited and political of the texts, a decision for a “global mutirão ”, does not directly mention fossil fuels, nor their phaseout, despite a push by Colombia, the EU and vulnerable island states.

The text — whose title…

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