The main document of COP30, known as the ‘Mutirão,’ revealed significant shortcomings, failing to include a crucial element—a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, stated the associations Zero, Oikos, and the FEC—Faith and Cooperation Foundation, in a press release.
At COP30, the president of Zero, Francisco Ferreira, told Lusa that having a final approved document is “obviously positive,” as a COP without an agreement “would support countries like the United States, where these multilateral processes and climate change itself are on a contrary agenda.”
The environmentalist also considered positive the approval of a document to support the just transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a renewable one, protecting workers affected by this change and advocating for funding in this regard.
He also applauded the goal to triple the adaptation fund, from 40 billion to 120 billion, by 2035.
However, he warned that regarding the essential task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally, the balance is not favorable; “There, we failed completely,” he said.
“Two years ago, we set this goal at the conference in Dubai, and now it was expected to have a roadmap with objectives, with an acceleration” in reducing the use of these fuels.
Even though the COP30 president promised to advance this process by the next COP, to be held next year in Turkey, Francisco Ferreira emphasized that “this is not reflected in any convention document, particularly the main document, the Mutirão,” which is “a very significant failure.”
In their joint statement, the three associations say the lack of this action plan “is a political submission to the interests of oil-producing countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, or those that continue to assume they still need a lot of energy from coal, oil, and fossil natural gas.”
Another “major failure” is the lack of “sufficient ambition” to move towards a trajectory closer to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels, maintaining a trajectory of 2.5 degrees.
“We see the consequences of climate change in our country and worldwide, we know we are in an emergency situation. We knew it would be very complicated to achieve remarkable results, but we expected more,” Francisco Ferreira lamented.
José Luís Monteiro, from OIKOS, told Lusa he left COP30 with “a feeling of deep betrayal” that has persisted since previous climate conferences.
“It’s another year where we say we’ll do things next year,” lamented the activist, acknowledging as positive some commitment to transition and increased adaptation funding.
The countries gathered at COP30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil, today approved the final draft agreement without any mention of fossil fuels and aim to triple climate adaptation funding for developing countries.
According to the text published today, the final draft agreement among the approximately 200 countries at the UN climate conference in Brazil contains no explicit mention of fossil fuels, contrary to the requests of many states, including European countries.
The text, which still needs to be approved by consensus in the closing session later today in Belém, calls for the tripling of climate adaptation funding for developing countries over the next 10 years.
