Environmentalists criticise ‘shamefully weak’ COP30 statement

Campaigners have criticised the United Nations’ COP30 environmental summit in Brazil for dropping a proposed roadmap to phase out the use of fossil fuels from its final text.

While countries including the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands backed proposals for a roadmap, the plan faced heavy opposition.

Bronwen Tucker, public finance lead at Oil Change International, branded the draft text as “outrageous”.

She added: “The presidency has presented a shamefully weak text that fails to mention fossil fuels, fails to deliver accountability towards rich countries’ finance obligations, and only makes vague promises on adaptation.”

Bruce Douglas, chief executive of the Global Renewables Alliance, warned that countries would “miss an open goal” without a roadmap to shift away from fossil fuels.

“Phasing out fossil fuels already makes business sense, with the private sector leading the way. Investment in renewables is outpacing fossil fuels two-to-one,” he added.