The UN climate summit ended without a plan to phase out fossil fuels, leaving the European Union increasingly isolated as global ambition declines. The final COP30 text avoided any fossil-fuel exit path, prompting critics to call the outcome an empty deal and a moral failure. The United States withdrew from climate talks and left a political and financial vacuum, while President Donald Trump dismissed climate change as a con job. Fossil-fuel-reliant countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, rejected all proposals for a clear phase-out.
One day before the summit closed, EU leaders threatened to reject the final document because nearly 200 nations needed unanimous approval. They eventually endorsed it because they saw no alternative, even while admitting its lack of ambition. The EU still upheld the 1.5°C limit, reaffirmed plans to cut emissions, and promised to continue supporting clean-energy projects abroad. Wopke Hoekstra, the EU climate commissioner, said the bloc stayed united and pushed for stronger global action.
Fragmented Alliances Undermine Progress
Dutch MEP Mohammed Chahim said President Lula set high expectations and the EU arrived ready to lead a coalition of ambitious nations. He argued that fragmentation in the international order blocked success and weakened coordination. According to him, resistance from oil-producing states overwhelmed negotiations, and shifting geopolitical power reduced the chances of a decisive fossil-fuel phase-out. He added that the EU and the United Kingdom struggled against the tide while BRICS members resisted stronger commitments.
BRICS, now a ten-member group of emerging economies influenced by Moscow, positioned itself as a counterweight to Western priorities. Irish minister Darragh O’Brien said he reluctantly supported the final text and regretted the absence of a credible fossil-fuel exit plan. More than 80 countries had demanded such a roadmap, but negotiators refused to include it. Former US Vice President Al Gore condemned the petrostates that blocked progress and said Brazil would continue pursuing a global roadmap with support from countries seeking more ambitious action.
Scientists and Advocates Warn of Deepening Risks
Climate researchers and environmental advocates voiced similar concerns. Nikki Reisch of the Centre for International Environmental Law criticised the agreement for ignoring scientific and legal demands to replace fossil fuels and make polluters pay. She argued that major emitters pointed fingers and tightened budgets while the world burned, and warned that attempts to blur science or avoid responsibility would not shield them from the law.
Doug Weir of the Conflict and Environment Observatory called the final text a moral failure for communities already suffering from severe climate impacts. He said the world gained no ground since Dubai two years ago and now faced an even harder task. A Climate Analytics report estimated that full implementation of COP28 pledges could cut warming rates by one-third within ten years and halve them by 2040. Bill Hare, the organisation’s CEO, argued that such steps could keep warming below 2°C instead of the projected 2.6°C.
World leaders met in Belém to review progress toward limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C, ten years after the Paris Agreement. They ended two weeks of talks in the Amazonian city that hosted the global stocktake. Australia and Turkey will host the next rounds of climate negotiations.
