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COP30 closes, with a whimper

Despite calls from the EU and others, the main text adopted by the UN climate summit held in Belém, Brazil, does not explicitly mention fossil fuels. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the deal strengthens rich countries’ aid for climate adaptation, but remains vague on unilateral trade measures.
22 November 2025 at 20h29
Energy
COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, during the summit's closing plenary. Ueslei Marcelino/COP30
by Damien Genicot, Victor Roux-Goeken Adapted from French by Jack Schickler

The 30th international conference under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Belém, Brazil, ended on the afternoon of 22 November.

Despite a cluster of texts adopted as a Belém political package , the mood was far from festive.

The most eagerly awaited and political of the texts, a decision for a “global mutirão ”, does not directly mention fossil fuels, nor their phase-out, despite a push from Colombia, the EU and vulnerable island states.

The text —…

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