The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) ended on Saturday (Nov. 22), with the Brazilian presidency highlighting advances in the adaptation agenda, new international climate-implementation tools, and pathways for debating how to end dependence on fossil fuels.
In a press conference after the end of negotiations, COP30 President Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment Ana Toni, Chief Negotiator Liliam Chagas, and Minister of the Environment Marina Silva detailed the results.
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Corrêa do Lago recalled that the conference began under strong negotiating pressure and with expanded autonomy for the co-directors. He noted that the adaptation package, one of the most complex at the COP, started with more than 100 indicators and was finalized with 59.
“There was consensus on only 10 percent of these indicators. We reorganized the metrics and will continue discussions in June in Bonn (at the Climate Conference in Germany),” said the ambassador.
In the energy debate, Corrêa do Lago said there were “two ways to move forward” in developing the roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, a sensitive issue since Dubai.
“As a diplomat, I saw a more conservative version. But President Lula’s speech put the issue at the center and opened space to make it a structuring agenda,” he said.
According to him, even without consensus, the Brazilian presidency will continue to debate the issue and gather research and actions capable of indicating a pathway for countries to move away from fossil fuels.
Consensus
Executive Secretary Ana Toni emphasized that COP30 achieved “consensus on such a difficult issue” and moved forward with a concrete implementation agenda, without any country giving up on the agenda involving the Paris Agreement.
The economist highlighted the presentation of 120 acceleration plans in commercial fuels, carbon, and green industry, in addition to the 29 documents approved.
“Small and large steps have been taken in difficult geopolitical times. We did not take all the steps we wanted, but we took firm steps,” Toni stated.
She noted that one of the main legacies was taking adaptation “to another level, above any other COP,” including the effort to triple international financing by 2035.
Toni also highlighted the unprecedented inclusion of women and girls of African descent in the climate agenda and the strengthening of the ocean agenda.
Trade
Chief negotiator Lilian Chagas believes that vulnerable countries have managed to join forces. According to her, the set of indicators approved will serve as a compass to measure progress and guide policies. “This will mark how each country has advanced and how to proceed,” Chagas added.
She also announced the strengthening of the Global Climate Action Accelerator, which will serve as a permanent space to promote concrete measures outside the formal negotiation track.
Another advance was the creation of an international forum to address the link between trade and climate. “It is a space to explore how trade can generate climate action, a topic of great interest to Brazil,” Chagas noted.
Liliam Chagas also highlighted important policy innovations, including the recognition of Afro-descendant groups as vulnerable, the strengthened role of indigenous lands as protectors of carbon sinks, and the inclusion of representatives from local communities in the process, the result of efforts carried out outside the official track.
Fossil fuels
Commenting on the process, Minister of the Environment Marina Silva noted that President Lula’s public stance strengthened the mitigation agenda and made it possible to integrate it with adaptation.
“We cannot adapt indefinitely, but it is impossible to think only about mitigation without considering the needs of vulnerable people who require financial resources, technological resources, and, above all, solidarity to be able to cope with the great hardships and suffering they are already experiencing,” Silva pointed out.
The minister noted that wealthy countries already have their own paths for phasing out fossil fuels, while poor, developing, or oil-dependent countries do not. She therefore stressed the importance of creating conditions for “these countries to build their foundations after more than 30 years of waiting for answers on how to break their dependence on fossil fuels.”
She also noted that the work includes the transition toward ending deforestation: “Only Brazil has this goal and its roadmap, but we want everyone to have the foundations to make these efforts.”
Silva also highlighted the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), a financial mechanism that moves beyond a donation-based model and creates ways for public resources invested in protecting forests and biodiversity to leverage private investment.
Legacy
When asked by journalists about the legacy of COP30, Silva said the conference broadened public understanding of climate change. She also highlighted contributions to the debate drawn from the knowledge and experience of Amazonian populations, who face isolation, logistical challenges, and limited access to food, water, and medicine.
“The Amazon not only receives a legacy, but offers a legacy,” the minister emphasized.
“We offered the best we had, and the best we had were our landscapes, our acoustic, visual, and pictorial beauties. The Amazon is an explosion of life and beauty that becomes a distraction whenever we look elsewhere,” said Silva.
