The COP30 climate summit concluded in the Amazonian city of Belem after two tense weeks marked by protests, marches and an unexpected fire that briefly disrupted proceedings.
Despite the drama around the venue, nearly two hundred nations managed to agree on several measures intended to accelerate global efforts to confront climate change.
Delegates met under vast temporary tents at a former airport on the edge of the rainforest, where they adopted what summit organisers called the mutirao pact, named after a Tupi Guarani term that evokes collective action. The agreement encourages countries to collaborate voluntarily to reduce carbon emissions and to keep global temperature rise within one point five degrees Celsius.
The pact acknowledged the commitment made at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels, though the phrase itself was conspicuously absent from the final text. Pressure from more than eighty nations for a formal roadmap to phasing out fossil fuels fell short. Instead, COP30 president Andre Correa do Lago said he would develop a voluntary phase out plan for willing countries, alongside a separate initiative to halt deforestation.
Developing nations secured a notable victory in the finance section of the agreement. The final text calls for efforts to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035, addressing long standing complaints that vulnerable countries lack the resources to protect themselves from rising seas and extreme weather. Observers said clarification was still needed on how much of the three hundred billion dollars a year pledged by wealthy nations for climate finance would be ringfenced for adaptation.
Trade appeared for the first time as a pillar of the final document. Delegates agreed to a three year dialogue on how climate and trade policies intersect, reflecting concerns that carbon taxes and similar measures could undermine export revenues in countries such as China.
Brazil used the summit to launch the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a global investment vehicle to reward forest rich countries for conserving standing trees. Five point five billion dollars in initial pledges came from Norway, Germany, Indonesia, France and Brazil. The fund aims to raise one hundred and twenty five billion dollars in public and private money.
Seven countries, including Britain, France, Canada and Japan, committed to driving methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector to near zero. Methane, a potent short lived greenhouse gas, has become an area of focus owing to its disproportionate impact on warming.
While COP30 closed with several new initiatives, divisions remained over fossil fuels and long term financing, signalling that the road to meeting global climate targets will require sustained political resolve long after the tents in Belem come down.
