COP30 delivers deal on adaptation finance but consensus on fossil fuels fails

World leaders agreed to triple adaptation finance by 2035 at the UN Climate Change Conference, which ended on Nov. 22, but deep divisions over fossil fuel transition language highlighted the growing geopolitical tensions surrounding global energy and climate policy.

After almost two weeks of intense negotiations, the fossil fuel debate emerged as COP30's defining political challenge, with Brazil leading an unprecedented global discussion on transitioning away from fossil fuels.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell defended the outcomes of COP30, acknowledging widespread frustration over the pace of climate action while insisting the transition away from fossil fuels remains "unstoppable" despite political headwinds and geopolitical tensions.

"Many countries wanted to move faster on fossil fuels, finance, and responding to spiraling climate disasters. I understand that frustration, and I share many of those concerns myself. But let's not ignore how far this COP has moved us forward," said Stiell during the closing plenary of COP30 Nov. 22.

More than 80 countries supported including language pertaining to the transition away from fossil fuels while over 80 opposed it, preventing its inclusion in the final agreement despite the issue's prominence since COP28 in Dubai. This meant many countries expressed disappointment at the lack of concrete outcomes.

Small island developing states, represented by Palau, called it "a very imperfect outcome" while African nations through Tanzania described it as "a global journey that remains unfinished." Even supportive delegations like Colombia and the G77 group acknowledged hoping for "more ambitious results on mitigation, adaptation and finance."

Belém package

Brazil's COP30 presidency said it will independently develop roadmaps for transitioning to a fossil-fuel-free economy and halting deforestation after failing to secure consensus among the 195 participating countries on explicit fossil-fuel language in the summit's final agreement.

The Belém Package, approved at COP30, which included the commitment to triple adaptation finance by 2035, also established the Global Implementation Accelerator, designed to prioritize high-impact climate actions including methane emission reduction and nature-based carbon removal solutions.

"It will prioritize interventions that can leverage positive tipping points, such as renewables, batteries, reducing the cost of capital, digitalization, and multilateral bank reform, for exponential and cascading transformations," the COP30 Presidency added in a statement.

India expressed satisfaction with major outcomes of COP30, foremost among them the establishment of the Just Transition Mechanism.

The mechanism aims to enhance international cooperation, technical assistance, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing, and enable equitable, inclusive just transitions.

India's ministry of environment, forest and climate change called it "a significant milestone and expressed hope that it would help operationalize equity and climate justice at both global and national levels."

The summit's outcomes reflected the challenging geopolitical landscape facing climate multilateralism, with traditional Global North and Global South divisions increasingly complicated by energy security concerns and economic transition costs.

"We knew this COP would take place in stormy political waters ... But friends, COP30 showed that climate cooperation is alive and kicking, keeping humanity in the fight for a livable planet, with a firm resolve to keep 1.5 C within reach," Stiell added.