Fossil Fuel Era Looms Closer to Closure as Climate Talks End in Brazil Without Binding Deal
The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop30) has concluded without a binding agreement on phasing out fossil fuels, marking a slight improvement but ultimately disappointing activists and campaigners. The meeting of over 194 countries that excludes the US was marked by intense negotiations, which ended with a voluntary agreement to discuss a roadmap for eventual fossil fuel phase-out.
Despite the progress, many felt it fell short of expectations, particularly when compared to last year's Cop28 in Dubai. The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and scientists say that phasing out fossil fuels is crucial to mitigating climate change. However, countries did manage to agree on a significant increase in financial support for developing nations to adapt to the impacts of climate change, tripling the amount from $300 billion last year.
Developed countries pledged an additional $120 billion per year by 2035, although campaigners argued that this should be increased further to reflect the scale of the crisis. Notably, developing countries had initially demanded a much faster timeline for achieving this increase and many were disappointed with the outcome.
On another pressing issue – deforestation, which has been highlighted as critical in tackling climate change – the final deal dropped plans to include a commitment to halting it. This decision was met with disappointment from nature advocates who felt that such an agreement could have made a meaningful difference.
Experts agree that while Cop30 took steps in the right direction by accelerating efforts away from fossil fuels, more needs to be done to address the climate crisis. Mohamed Adow of Power Shift Africa pointed out that developed countries are failing to live up to their commitments on emission reduction plans and that progress remains slow considering the urgency of the issue.
The lack of clarity around emissions targets was attributed to a failure of member states to submit new national plans as stipulated in previous years' agreements. Instead, an 'accelerator program' will be set up to address this shortfall with countries expected to report back at next year's Cop.
Moreover, critics pointed out that the agreement failed to deliver on key issues like critical minerals exploitation, which has been plagued by human rights abuses in some countries. China and Russia were among those to block these provisions.
Overall, while progress was made, experts remain skeptical of the impact of this Cop, warning it falls short of what is required to tackle climate change effectively and equitably.
The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop30) has concluded without a binding agreement on phasing out fossil fuels, marking a slight improvement but ultimately disappointing activists and campaigners. The meeting of over 194 countries that excludes the US was marked by intense negotiations, which ended with a voluntary agreement to discuss a roadmap for eventual fossil fuel phase-out.
Despite the progress, many felt it fell short of expectations, particularly when compared to last year's Cop28 in Dubai. The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and scientists say that phasing out fossil fuels is crucial to mitigating climate change. However, countries did manage to agree on a significant increase in financial support for developing nations to adapt to the impacts of climate change, tripling the amount from $300 billion last year.
Developed countries pledged an additional $120 billion per year by 2035, although campaigners argued that this should be increased further to reflect the scale of the crisis. Notably, developing countries had initially demanded a much faster timeline for achieving this increase and many were disappointed with the outcome.
On another pressing issue – deforestation, which has been highlighted as critical in tackling climate change – the final deal dropped plans to include a commitment to halting it. This decision was met with disappointment from nature advocates who felt that such an agreement could have made a meaningful difference.
Experts agree that while Cop30 took steps in the right direction by accelerating efforts away from fossil fuels, more needs to be done to address the climate crisis. Mohamed Adow of Power Shift Africa pointed out that developed countries are failing to live up to their commitments on emission reduction plans and that progress remains slow considering the urgency of the issue.
The lack of clarity around emissions targets was attributed to a failure of member states to submit new national plans as stipulated in previous years' agreements. Instead, an 'accelerator program' will be set up to address this shortfall with countries expected to report back at next year's Cop.
Moreover, critics pointed out that the agreement failed to deliver on key issues like critical minerals exploitation, which has been plagued by human rights abuses in some countries. China and Russia were among those to block these provisions.
Overall, while progress was made, experts remain skeptical of the impact of this Cop, warning it falls short of what is required to tackle climate change effectively and equitably.
Man, I'm really disappointed with the outcome of COP30 
. I mean, we're still stuck in the fossil fuel era and it's taking a huge toll on our planet 
. 120 billion more per year by 2035 is just not enough 
. We need to be talking about 500 billion or even 1 trillion annually if we want to have any hope of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius 
.
. We should've had a plan to stop it cold, but instead, the deal just patted us on the back 
. I'm not surprised China and Russia blocked those provisions though - they're more interested in lining their pockets than saving the planet 
. They can't just say we have to act now and then sit back and expect everyone else to save us 
. We need a global response that includes everyone - rich or poor, big or small 
. I'm glad there was some progress made on financial support for developing nations 
. That's gonna help them adapt to the impacts of climate change and maybe, just maybe, we can start making a difference 
.
. We need more than just 'accelerated efforts' away from fossil fuels 
. We need real action now 
.
I'm kinda disappointed that we're not seeing more concrete steps towards phasing out fossil fuels 
. And what's the holdup on critical minerals exploitation? 
I know China and Russia are big players in this area, but can't they just work with everyone else on human rights issues? 
. Tripling the financial support for developing nations is a good start, but $120 billion by 2035 doesn't feel like nearly enough 
.
. We can't just keep talking about transitioning away from fossil fuels if countries aren't actually following through on their commitments 
.
. Maybe next year's Cop will bring some real change 
.
. It's like they're hoping to just magically solve it with more money 
. More money for developing nations could be a big help 
.
. That's like, super critical in tackling climate change 
.
... not moving forward fast enough 
.
. The lack of binding agreements on fossil fuels is a major letdown 
.
.
. I mean, tripling the funding for developing nations is a step in the right direction, but $120 billion just isn't going to cut it when you think about the scale of the problem. We need to be talking about increasing that amount way more than just by 40% 
.
. It's like we're just expecting countries to magically stop chopping down our forests without making any real commitments or holding them accountable 
.
. We need to be pushing ourselves way harder to get those emissions under control and create a more sustainable future 
. And on top of that, deforestation got left out of the plan 
. COP30 might've been a step in the right direction, but it's still a far cry from what we need to see 
. That's definitely something to build on. But let's be real, that $120 billion per year is just a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of the crisis we're facing 
. We need more, not less 
We should be thankful for a few tiny steps forward when all we need is some serious momentum to tackle this crisis. And honestly, it feels like no one's taking it seriously enough... I just wish they'd get their acts together already 
I think it's kinda weird that cop30 didn't have a more solid deal on phasing out fossil fuels...like, they're pretty clear that we gotta get rid of 'em ASAP if we wanna limit warming to 1.5 degrees 
. Developed countries gotta step up and live up to those commitments or else we're in trouble 
.
and I gotta say, I'm kinda disappointed too 
️. They agreed on some stuff, but it's not as strong as we need it to be, you know? Like, they're supposed to help poor countries more with climate change and all that, but the increase in funding is kinda small 
no binding deal which is super disappointing. scientists are saying we gotta stop using fossil fuels ASAP and now countries just agreed to 'discuss' it 
I mean, I've been hearing about how expensive solar panels are for a while now, so like, where's the money going to come from? 
What does that even mean? Is it like a magic button that makes all our climate problems disappear? 