COP 30: Did It Deliver the Fast, Fair, and Funded Transition the World Needed?

Ahead of COP 30, we wrote that the world was entering Belém at a moment of extreme urgency: global temperatures breaching 1.5°C for the first time, only a fraction of countries submitting new NDCs, and current policies still leading us toward a dangerous 2.4 - 2.6°C of warming. We argued that COP 30 needed to shift from promises to implementation - delivering a transition that is Fast, Fair, and Funded.

COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago during closing plenary meeting of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30). Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/COP30

So did it?

In short: not fully - but important foundations were laid.

On the fast transition, momentum for a global fossil fuel phase-out was stronger than ever, with 88 countries calling for a clear roadmap. But major fossil fuel producers and lobbyists blocked any reference to phasing out coal, oil, or gas in the final text. In place of a negotiated UN process, Brazil announced that it will lead a series of high-level dialogues in 2026 to develop voluntary roadmaps for both ending deforestation and transitioning away from fossil fuels, reporting back to COP 31 . This keeps the conversation alive and shows how a big part of the world is truly fed-up delay and denial, as Al Gore states in his reaction to COP 30.

The fair transition saw one hard-won victory: the creation of the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) for a Just Transition - an achievement driven by sustained civil society pressure. BAM aims to enhance cooperation, capacity, and knowledge-sharing so that workers and communities are not left behind during the transition. Yet progress elsewhere was limited. Countries failed to strengthen the adaptation finance target for 2030 and pushed the timeline to 2035, leaving frontline communities without scaled-up support. And with no plan to strengthen NDCs - or even a timeline for phasing out fossil fuels in any major emitter - the equity gap persists.

On a funded transition, COP 30 established a two-year finance programme and reaffirmed the goal of mobilising 1.3 trillion USD per year by 2035 for adaptation, but again the details fell short of what science demands. The new pathway lacks clarity on baselines, timelines, and responsibilities.

COP 30 did not deliver the full transformation the moment demands. But key openings remain. As we head toward COP 31 hosted by Türkiye and supported by Australia, the task is to turn political signals into real action - anchoring a fast, fair, and funded transition firmly within the Paris Agreement.