COP30 Concludes in Belém With Mixed Results on Climate Action

The 30th UN Climate Summit, COP30, wrapped up on Sunday after two weeks of negotiations in Belém, Brazil, drawing over 55,000 participants. Dubbed the “COP of Truth,” the summit aimed to deliver progress on climate finance, deforestation, and Indigenous rights, but the final agreement reflected both achievements and setbacks.

COP30 was the second-largest climate conference in UN history, with 56,118 registered delegates, including 2,500 Indigenous representatives and roughly 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists. Brazil and China sent the largest delegations, with 3,805 and 789 delegates, respectively. For the first time in three decades, the United States sent no official delegation, contributing to deadlocks on climate finance and loss-and-damage discussions.

The summit failed to secure binding commitments on fossil fuel phase-out. More than 80 nations, led by Colombia, had pushed for a roadmap to transition away from oil, gas, and coal, but opposition from major oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, blocked its inclusion.

While the summit called for tripling adaptation funding for vulnerable nations, the timeline for achieving $120 billion annually was pushed back from 2030 to 2035. Experts warn this falls short of the $310–$365 billion per year estimated as necessary for developing countries to cope with climate impacts.

Critics highlighted the outsized influence of fossil fuel lobbyists, who outnumbered delegates from the ten most climate-vulnerable nations combined. Climate activists decried the lack of binding commitments, calling COP30 a missed opportunity to address the climate crisis.

The next UN Climate Summit, COP31, will be held in Antalya, Turkey, in 2026.