On the afternoon on November 22 in Belem, Brazil, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago gavelled the final outcomes at the end of the two-week-long climate summit. Among the highlights of the ‘package’ of decisions adopted include a new mechanism on international cooperation for a just transition, language on tripling flows of adaptation finance by 2035, and a new work programme to scrutinise finance flows under Article 9 of the Paris Agreement. Notable in its absence is the reference to fossil fuels. However, this was referenced in a new process initiated by the Brazilian Presidency — two roadmaps on forests and transition away from fossil fuels.
The overall cover decision referred to as the Global Mutirao — roughly meaning collective effort — retains earlier language on adaptation finance but now explicitly reaffirms the commitment to doubling adaptation finance by 2025 while also calling for its tripling by 2035. It introduces a new paragraph on Article 9.1 (para 54), maintaining its placement within the broader Article 9 context. On the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, it retains the creation of a two-year work programme, with the addition of specifying co-chairs from one developed and one developing country. However, the text retains the footnote that says “without prejudging the process for the implementation of the new collective quantified goal on climate finance”.
On the Baku to Belem Roadmap to $1.3 trillion, the language is slightly softened, while the call for developed countries to lead in mobilising $300 billion per year by 2035 remains. Elements on encouraging voluntary contributions from a wider set of Parties, tripling annual outflows from key UNFCCC funds by 2030, references to Article 2.1(c) and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage remain unchanged.
On unilateral trade measures, the Mutirao text references Article 3.5 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and then decides to hold three dialogues in the next three years at the Bonn mid-year conference “to consider opportunities, challenges and barriers in relation to enhancing international cooperation related to the role of trade”.
On the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), the draft decision text adopts the full set of indicators. However, several Parties, including the AILAC group and the EU, have objected to the text. Developing countries stressed that the text is weak on means of implementation. Countries also raised concerns that many of the changes to the indicators, introduced only recently, could not be sufficiently discussed or negotiated.
Text on the Just Transition Work Programme includes a decision to develop, but not yet establish, a just transition mechanism whose purpose is to enhance international cooperation, technical assistance, capacity-building, and knowledge-sharing. Countries are asked to work towards recommending a draft text at the 64th Subsidiary Body meeting in Bonn next year, in order to operationalise the mechanism at COP31. But the actual timeline of operationalisation remains unclear. Notably, the outcome contains no reference to unilateral trade measures and does not include the obligation of developed countries to provide the means of implementation to developing countries, despite these being key demands from developing countries.
While these texts were gavelled through at the closing plenary by COP30 President do Lago, objections from Parties to various elements including the lack of formal language on fossil fuels, and a disappointing outcome on the GGA led to a suspension of the plenary, briefly, but the plenary was resumed, and remaining matters were adopted.