COP30 ends without new pledges to cut fossil fuels as UK among nations rejecting new draft

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has backed the final agreement, saying the 193 countries involved “fought hard for this outcome”.

But, he warned that the deal “does not have all the ambition we would have wanted”, even as he insisted it “commits to keeping the 1.5C target alive” and launches a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels.

The UK is among a group of nations that rejected the new draft, which omits any mention of fossil fuels – despite them being the world’s biggest driver of climate change.

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A letter co-signed by the UK stated:

“We express deep concern regarding the current proposal under consideration for a take it or leave it.”

An earlier version of the agreement included three possible pathways to phasing out fossil fuels altogether, but that language was removed following resistance from oil-producing nations.

COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago suspended the negotiations after a furious intervention from Colombia, which has positioned itself as a leader in reducing fossil-fuel reliance.

Colombia’s representative told the plenary that their delegation had raised a point of order but were ignored.

“You are leaving us with no other choice but to object,” she said, offering alternative wording that explicitly includes fossil fuels.

She added: “This is the COP of truth and trust. You are leaving us with no other option after the procedural issues seen in this plenary.”

Her remarks were met with applause.

Colombia went on to say the outcome “falls far short of reflecting the magnitude of the challenges that parties – especially the most vulnerable – are confronting on the ground.”

The representative argued that parties’ views were “not meaningfully reflected” and that the final document “does not capture the full breadth of positions expressed throughout the negotiations.”

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva praised the deal, declaring:

“Science prevailed, multilateralism won.”Speaking at the G20 summit in South Africa, he warned the world had “surpassed for the first time – and perhaps permanently – the limit of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels”. But he insisted:

“We chose the first option,” referring to continuing efforts to combat climate change.He also labelled COP30 “the COP of truth”.

COP president acknowledges gaps in the deal

In the final meeting, COP30 president do Lago addressed criticism directly:

“We know some of you had greater ambitions for some of the issues at hand.”He added:

“I know the youth civil society will demand us to do more to fight climate change. I want to reaffirm that I will try not to disappoint you during my presidency.”

Reflecting on President Lula’s earlier comments, he said humanity must develop clear roadmaps to “overcome its dependence on fossil fuels”, “halt and reverse deforestation”, and “mobilise resources for these purposes” in a “just and planned manner”.

Do Lago pledged to create two new roadmaps to advance those goals.