[Global Focus] Held in the Amazon, But UN Fails to Deliver Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Roadmap

Although Symbolic as It Was Held in the Brazilian Amazon,
Key Issue of Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Fails
Conference Closes Without Mentioning Fossil Fuels in Official Documents

The 30th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30), held in Belem at the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil, was a meeting where the reality of the climate crisis clashed head-on with the limitations of politics. While participating countries made 'partial progress' by pledging new financial resources and strengthening indigenous rights, they failed to respond to the two most urgent demands of the international community: a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels and a roadmap for halting deforestation. This outcome resulted from the structural limitations of international cooperation, the political influence of oil-producing countries, and a leadership vacuum from the United States.

AFP Yonhap News

From November 10 to 21 (local time), delegations from 190 countries gathered in Belem, the gateway city to the Brazilian Amazon, but ultimately failed to reach a decisive agreement to slow the climate crisis. COP30 concluded without addressing its core agenda items: a roadmap to halt deforestation and a plan for the phase-out of fossil fuels. As a result, the final agreement ended in a partial compromise, without specifying a concrete path for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) criticized the outcome in a statement released the day after the closing, saying, "There were plenty of rosy messages, but no substantive implementation roadmap," and "not even a direction was presented for responding to the climate crisis." Major international media outlets such as Time and The Guardian noted that while the meeting's location in the heart of the Amazon was highly symbolic, its achievements were limited.

COP Held in the Heart of the Amazon: Downpours, Fires, and Protests Reveal the 'Reality'

This year's conference provided a vivid glimpse into the current state of the climate crisis. On November 20, exhibition pavilions set up across Belem were flooded or leaked due to heavy rain. Delegations from Pacific island countries such as Kiribati and Fiji had to leave the venue when their pavilions were inundated. Kiribati and Fiji are among the nations suffering the most from rising sea levels. Even at a conference to discuss responses to the climate crisis, the impacts of the crisis were repeated. Reuters described this as an "ironic scene."

There was also an incident where hundreds of delegates had to evacuate due to a fire caused by an electrical short circuit. AP described the event as "a conference where participants experienced the threats of the Amazon firsthand."

Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Roadmap 'Missing'...Blocked by Oil Producers and Emerging Economies

The main focus of COP30 was whether a concrete roadmap for ending the use of fossil fuels would be announced. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, it was also time for countries to revise their reduction targets for 2035. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged in his opening speech, "We must present a clear plan as demanded by science." However, the gap between oil-producing and non-oil-producing countries remained unbridged until the end of negotiations.

Major fossil fuel-consuming and oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, and Nigeria strongly opposed the plan. They cited energy security and economic development, firmly rejecting any mention of a phase-out. Even milder terms like reduction or transitioning could not be included in the final agreement. To reach a deal, Brazil steered the final document to remove the term "fossil fuels" altogether. In the end, COP30 had to settle for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretary-General Simon Stiell mentioning fossil fuels in his closing speech.

The Guardian reported that the wording was agreed upon only after overnight negotiations, but pointed out that the absence of a fossil fuel roadmap was a painful omission. The outlet described COP30 as the result of an "imperfect compromise."

Manuel Pulgar Vidal, head of WWF's Global Climate and Energy Program and former chair of COP20, said, "This COP30 failed to deliver the substantive action worthy of being called the 'COP of Truth.' There were plenty of rosy promises, but no concrete roadmap or effective solutions were presented, which is deeply disappointing." He added, "The fact that the fundamental cause of the climate crisis-fossil fuels-could not even be mentioned in official documents clearly shows that governments are ignoring the demands of science and civil society."

Another major agenda item was a roadmap to halt global deforestation. Last year alone, 8.1 million hectares of forest disappeared worldwide, and scientists have warned that the Amazon is approaching a tipping point where it could turn into savannah.

Brazil, leveraging the symbolism of hosting the event in the Amazon, pushed for the adoption of a roadmap to implement the Glasgow pledge (ending deforestation by 2030). More than 90 countries expressed support, but a final agreement was not reached. Brazil announced it would submit a separate draft roadmap at COP31 in Turkiye next year, but this is likely to remain a non-binding plan.

Nevertheless, there were meaningful outcomes in the areas of indigenous rights and forest protection. Countries agreed to officially recognize and strengthen 160 million hectares of land managed by indigenous peoples and local communities by 2030. This is based on scientific analysis showing that 80% of global biodiversity is found in indigenous territories. Philanthropic organizations announced they would invest $1.8 billion to strengthen indigenous and local community land rights.

The Tropical Forest Finance Facility (TFFF), which Brazil strongly promoted this year, succeeded in securing $7 billion out of its $25 billion target. In addition, major European countries pledged to invest an additional $2.5 billion over five years to help preserve the Congo rainforest, the world's second largest after the Amazon.

Why Does COP Keep Failing? The Limits of the Consensus Structure Exposed

Experts point out that the outcome of COP30 starkly revealed the structural limitations of the negotiation process. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change requires all decisions to be adopted by unanimous consent. As a result, if even a single country objects, key language is deleted or significantly weakened.

Time, in an editorial, wrote, "Multilateralism remains very important, but it may no longer be the main driver of progress on climate change," and noted that "the burden is even greater given that three of the last four climate summits have been hosted by authoritarian regimes with vested interests in fossil fuels."

This year's conference lost momentum from the start, as only about 60 leaders from 189 countries attended the summit held before the negotiations. The United States did not send an official delegation to this meeting.

China was represented by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, but President Xi Jinping did not attend. China and the United States are the world's largest carbon emitters. AP analyzed that "the absence of the world's largest economies created a vacuum in negotiating power, giving oil-producing countries an opportunity to increase their influence."

The international community sees next year's COP31 in Turkiye as virtually the last golden opportunity. The tasks for each country over the next year are clear: Brazil's submission of draft roadmaps for fossil fuels and forests as promised, formal submission of each country's 2035 reduction targets (NDCs), expanded national contributions to climate finance, and restructuring of the loss and damage fund.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.