KEY POINTS
- Nearly 200 countries approved a COP30 climate deal without.
- The EU had pushed for a roadmap on phasing out oil, gas and coal.
- The agreement urges countries to “voluntarily” accelerate climate action.
- Developing nations sought more financial support, with the final text calling for efforts to triple adaptation finance by 2035.
BELEM, Brazil: Nearly 200 countries adopted a new climate agreement at the COP30 summit in Brazil on Saturday, despite objections from the European Union, which had pushed for a clear roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.
COP30 president and Brazilian diplomat Andre Correa do Lago brought down his gavel to confirm approval by consensus, drawing applause and cheers in the plenary hall.
The final text does not include any plan to phase out oil, gas or coal, despite demands from the EU, emerging economies and small island states.
More than 30 countries had earlier warned Brazil that they would reject any deal without such a commitment.
Instead, the agreement urges countries to “voluntarily” accelerate climate action and refers back to the COP28 consensus in Dubai, which called for a global transition away from fossil fuels.
Correa do Lago acknowledged disappointment from many delegations, saying: “We know some of you had greater ambitions.”
He pledged to develop voluntary “roadmaps” to shift away from fossil fuels and halt deforestation.
The United States was notably absent from the talks, with President Donald Trump choosing not to attend COP30.
The EU accepted the deal but made clear it had wanted stronger commitments.
“We’re not going to hide the fact that we would have preferred to have more, to have more ambition on everything,” EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told reporters. “We should support it because it is at least going in the right direction.”
French ecological transition minister Monique Barbut described the text as “bland” but said “there was nothing extraordinarily bad in it.”
Summit ends with deal intact
The agreement concludes two turbulent weeks in Belem. Indigenous protesters breached the venue last week, blocking its entrance. A fire inside the compound on Thursday forced a mass evacuation.
Failure to reach a deal would have been a major setback for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had called COP30 the “COP of truth.”
German environment state secretary Jochen Flasbarth said the fragile geopolitical climate made consensus more difficult. “In the end, there is no other process we have,” he told AFP.
Financing and trade disputes
Developing nations had pressed wealthy economies for more financial support to cope with climate impacts such as floods and droughts.
The EU resisted demands for substantial new commitments, but the final deal calls for efforts to “at least triple” adaptation finance by 2035.
A Bangladeshi negotiator, speaking to AFP, said the agreement reflected “a minimum common denominator,” adding: “Our fight will continue.”
The EU also rejected language on trade sought by China and other emerging countries. The final text instead calls for “dialogue” on trade matters.
China welcomes outcome
The head of China’s COP30 delegation, Li Gao, said the summit should be viewed as a success.
“I’m happy with the outcome,” Li told AFP. “We achieved this success in a very difficult situation, so it shows that the international community would like to show solidarity and make joint efforts to address climate change.”
