COP30: Oil interests block climate action once again, but some countries seek alternatives
Jordi Roca Jusmet professor of Economy
Faculty of Economics and bussines
With the latest United Nations climate summit (COP30), held between 10 and 22 November in Belém, Brazil, now over, it is time to take stock. Although the event did not result in any significant progress towards mitigating global warming or climate financing, it did leave us with one positive outcome: some countries have taken the initiative to begin a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.
This summit was groundbreaking for two interrelated reasons. The first is that, in contrast to the three previous conferences, which were heavily guarded, the streets of Belém were filled with outrage. Tens of thousands of protesters, including a large number of indigenous people, gathered to demand ‘environmental justice’. They are not only referring to the consequences of climate change, but also seeking to protect their territory and their lives from oil extraction activities.
The second reason is that, for the first time, the need to abandon fossil fuels has been strongly highlighted. Despite being the main drivers of climate change, the abandonment of these energy sources has been absent from summit decisions. Only the final document of COP28 in 2023 mentioned a vague intention to “transition away from fossil fuels”. This intention disappeared at COP29, mainly due to pressure from Saudi Arabia.
This article was originally published on The Conversation