The COP30 summit has ended in disappointment with environmentalists and climate experts warning the agreement reached was simply  not enough to deliver the momentum needed to tackle the climate crisis.

The decisions not to put any type of agreement on the use of fossil fuels has been viewed as a clear indication of the ongoing divisions between nations on the issue. The decisions by the USA not to send senior officials to the event had left many believing the event was doomed before the doors opened.

Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics explained: “COP30 in Belém didn’t deliver the bold fossil fuel phaseout roadmap that is needed, but it has nudged the system forward: more scrutiny of fossil fuel producers and more money for forests and adaptation, and a new, rising emphasis on trade and implementation.

“The traditional COP model is under serious strain in a fractured, multipolar world, particularly from countries prepared to sacrifice the well-being of the world for fossil fuel interests.

“It is significant that the Brazilian presidency will move forward a process on developing a roadmap for a transition away from fossil fuels, and that more than 90 countries support this.

“There is agreement on process to accelerate implementation, which is weaker than it should be, because of the opposition of countries who don’t want to move forward.”

He added: “Our work has shown that implementation of the already-agreed goals to triple renewables, double efficiency, and reduce methane emissions, would be a game changer and take the world within 0.2-0.3°C of limiting warming to 1.5° or below.”

Greenpeace International said: “What started with strong hope and promise ended without actionable roadmaps to end forest destruction and the burning of fossil fuels, as geopolitical divisions again showcased the disconnection with people calling for COP30 climate action.”

Carolina Pasquali, executive director, Greenpeace Brazil added: “President Lula set the bar high in calling for roadmaps to end fossil fuels and deforestation, but a divided multilateral landscape was unable to hurdle it. This was a crossroad – a properly funded path to 1.5°C or a highway to climate catastrophe – and while many governments are willing to act, a powerful minority is not.”

Dr James Dyke, from the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, described the outcome as shameful

“COP30 comes ten years after COP21’s achievement of the Paris Agreement, and its objective to limit warming to well-below 2°C. For the Paris Agreement to have had any chance of success, governments – particularly those in rich, industrialised nations – would have needed to accelerate the phase out of fossil fuels at the same time of phasing in the financial support for energy transitions in the Global South,” he explained. “Neither have happened. In 2024, industrial processes poured a record-breaking 37.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, while the amount of climate finance thus far promised is a fraction of what is needed.

“Despite the host’s best efforts, COP30 will not even be able to get nations to agree to fossil fuel phase out. This shameful outcome is the result of narrow self-interest and cynical politicking.”

“What started with strong hope and promise ended without actionable roadmaps to end forest destruction and the burning of fossil fuels, as geopolitical divisions again showcased the disconnection with people calling for COP30 climate action.”

Greenpeace International