80+ Countries Push for Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Roadmap as COP30 Enters Its Final Days
More than 80 countries are now openly calling for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels as COP30 enters its tense final stretch in Belém — a coordinated push that has quickly become the summit’s defining fight. The cross-regional coalition, spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Europe, wants a transition away from fossil fuels to be the core outcome of the talks, reviving language first agreed at COP28 but never turned into a plan.
The pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels” was the headline result of the Dubai summit in 2023, yet it has been under pressure ever since. Major producers, led by Saudi Arabia, have spent the past two years trying to dilute or reverse the phrasing, and efforts to build on the agreement collapsed last year at COP29 in Baku. That failure set the stage for COP30 to either convert the Dubai wording into a real roadmap — or watch the commitment fade into another placeholder promise.
Amid growing uncertainty, President Lula made an unexpected return to the negotiations this week. His arrival on day ten was widely seen as an attempt to prevent the issue from falling to “Rule 16,” the procedural dead end that would push the fight into next year’s COP.
Inside the negotiation zone, governments are now haggling over every verb and clause, while outside civil society groups warn the process still leans too heavily on “green capitalism.” Even if a roadmap is agreed, many delegates question whether it will lead to implementation or join a long list of climate commitments that never materialise.
Frustration has also surfaced over Brazil’s Tropical Forests Forever Facility. Announced with momentum at the start of COP30, the US$10bn fund remains stuck at US$5.5bn in confirmed pledges, with European donors citing limited fiscal room amid wider geopolitical pressures. For many, it underscores the persistent gap between ambition and delivery in global climate finance.
As COP30 heads into its final hours, the question is whether Belém will deliver a credible pathway away from fossil fuels — or another year of familiar disagreements and stalled progress.