The outcome of the Cop30 talks has been criticised as “not nearly enough” after countries reaffirmed their commitment to tackling climate change but agreed no immediate actions to follow through.
The summit in Belém, Brazil, ended 24 hours late on Saturday evening, with a compromise deal that deferred key issues to other dates and venues, some of them three years away.
Irish observers who attended the talks or monitored proceedings were left disappointed that a firm strategy to end the use of coal, oil and gas – the fossil fuels primarily responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions heating the planet – was omitted from the final agreement.
Professor Peter Thorne of the Icarus climate research centre at Maynooth University said countries were “window dressing” on the main problems.
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“Not enough countries are showing anywhere near enough ambition, and even less evidence of actual action, on emission reductions,” he said.
Friends of the Earth chief executive Deirdre Duffy welcomed the fact that an agreement was reached during the fractious final hours but said: “It’s not nearly enough.”
“This farcical situation can’t be allowed to continue. We are down to the wire in terms of averting climate breakdown and yet Belém is another lost opportunity for fossil fuel phase-out.”
Overseas aid and development agencies followed discussions on climate finance closely after a pledge at Cop29 last year to increase assistance from rich countries to poor countries to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 was agreed with little detail on how to achieve it.
Cop30 ended with agreement to continue discussions on the details over the next two years.
Ross Fitzpatrick of Christian Aid Ireland said countries most to blame for climate change had spent most of Cop30 resisting developing countries’ pleas for help.
“The injustice here could not be clearer,” he said.
“Every government that says it is committed to climate action, including Ireland, must double down on delivery – reducing emissions urgently and paying up on long-owed financial support.”
[ Despite the fudges and bickering, Cop is still the best hope we’ve gotOpens in new window ]
Trócaire’s Sinéad Loughran said no progress had been made on a largely empty compensation fund for climate harms caused to poor countries.
“We see the losses and damages that communities are facing from droughts, floods and extreme weather events, from loss of homes, loss of animals and livelihoods and failing crops, across the countries that Trócaire works in,” she said.
“Communities who are left to pick up the pieces are owed remedy for this harm caused, yet the Loss and Damage Fund has been left to languish.”
Karol Balfe of ActionAid said despite disappointment at the inaction of fossil fuels and finance, one achievement of Cop30 was the adoption of an agreement on “just transition” to ensure workers and ordinary people were benefiting from the opportunities presented by renewable energy and green technologies.
“Amid growing economic insecurity and climate scepticism, this is exactly the signal needed to get the planet back on track to addressing this global crisis,” she said.
Former president of Ireland and climate campaigner, Mary Robinson, said there were signs of hope in the summit’s imperfect outcome.
“This deal isn’t perfect and is far from what science requires. But at a time when multilateralism is being tested, it is significant that countries continue to move forward together,” she said.
“While very disappointingly, countries failed to agree on a collective roadmap to phase out fossil fuels or end deforestation, the global direction of travel is clear.”
Minister for Climate Darragh O’Brien said the Government backed the outcome with reservations because of the failure to directly address emissions reduction.
“Our support is underpinned by profound concerns,” he said.
