‘Another COP of talk,’ says CSE as COP30 closes with eroding trust in Paris process

The two-week 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Belem, Brazil closed with what observers called a narrow win on just transition amid fractious politics, watered-down finance decisions and a worsening crisis of trust in the Paris Agreement process.

The Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which tracked the negotiations on the ground, described COP30 as “another ‘COP of Talk’ — mouthing dialogues, promising roadmaps and delivering little of substance beyond one unclear mechanism”.

The summit concluded on November 22, 2025 with the adoption of the Belem Political Package. The highlights were decisions on a new mechanism on international co-operation for just transition, language on tripling adaptation finance by 2035 and a work programme to scrutinise finance flows under Article 9.

The omission of any reference to fossil fuels in the text was conspicuous. The issue was addressed instead through two parallel roadmaps announced by the Brazilian Presidency outside the formal negotiations.

“In a world battered by trade wars, declining development assistance and international co-operation, military conflicts, climate impacts, and fractured multilateralism, the COP process did not instil confidence in good faith climate co-operation; instead, it rehashed tired and cynical patterns of obstructionism and shifting of burdens on to the poor,” CSE said.

Avantika Goswami, programme manager for climate change at CSE, said, “While the just transition mechanism is a win for developing countries and civil society which have championed it, the adaptation finance outcome is vague in comparison.” She added that “the disruptive tactics deployed by developed countries, including scapegoating of large developing countries as ‘blockers’ of ambition and attempts to divide-and-rule the developing blocs, exposed a major crisis of legitimacy for the COP process. It is unclear who it serves and if it remains fit for purpose.”

The just transition mechanism was unveiled under the UAE Just Transition Work Programme with the aim to strengthen international co-operation and capacity-building, but concerns remained. “With timelines still uncertain, technical functions undefined, and no guaranteed finance for implementation, concerns remain that the mechanism could be empty and meaningless,” said Rudrath Avinashi, programme officer, climate change, CSE.

Adaptation talks delivered mixed results. Parties adopted a list of indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), but flagged that the package was weak on means of implementation. They also complained that some major changes to this text was introduced in the last moment, making a thorough discussion or negotiation impossible.

“The indicators may be adopted, but without means of implementation for developing countries, GGA sets expectations without the means to meet them,” said Trishant Dev, deputy programme manager in the climate change team at CSE.

The much-anticipated commitment to triple adaptation finance was pushed to 2035, with no clarity on contributors or baselines.

Finance remained a major flashpoint. Developing countries were blocked from securing a dedicated agenda item on Article 9.1, receiving instead a two-year work programme on article 9 as a whole. Additionally, the decision is disconnected from the implementation of the New Collective Quantified Goal outcome agreed at COP29.

“Across tracks, developing countries pushed for stronger accountability, shorter timelines on finance delivery, and a focus on public finance, but saw little convergence,” said Sehr Raheja, programme officer, climate change, CSE.

Fossil fuels, despite dominating headlines, remained outside the formal agenda of the summit. A surprise 'Roadmap to Transition Away from Fossil Fuels' (TAFF) surfaced in week two but was ultimately dropped.

But till then, the issue garnered significant media attention, with misleading narratives fed by the European Union and its allies casting Saudi Arabia, the Like-Minded Developing Countries bloc and other large developing countries as blockers. “TAFF is critical, but its tactical use to sideline formal adaptation and just transition negotiations exposed a bad-faith effort to undermine months of G77 work on these issues,” said Goswami.

Trade also broke into the climate arena, with unilateral measures such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism now set to feature in formal dialogues for the next three years.

As COP30 ended, CSE warned that deepening mistrust continues to undermine the Paris process, with its gradual shift away from the Kyoto Protocol mandate of setting targets based on development status. “The pitfalls of this move are now becoming evident, with developed countries escaping scrutiny for ongoing fossil fuel production and use, while pinning the blame on the growing economies of the Global South,” said Goswami.