After passing Friday's deadline to conclude an agreement, an agreement was finally reached on Saturday evening Swedish time.
Among other things, it was decided to increase funding for climate adaptation – especially for the countries that are hardest hit. However, no concrete plan for phasing out fossil fuels is mentioned in the final declaration – which has resulted in criticism and complaints. But the agreement is also generating cautious praise.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres says that COP30 did not deliver as desired, and that “the gap between where we are and what the science requires is still dangerously wide.”
“Not perfect”
At the same time, he also emphasizes that the agreement shows that "countries can still unite to meet crucial challenges that no country can solve alone."
Similar sentiments are heard from Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland – who has also been the UN's special envoy on climate issues.
"This agreement is not perfect and falls far short of what science requires. But at a time when multilateralism is being tested, it is of great importance that countries can move forward together," Robinson said in a statement.
Cautiously positive reactions also come from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). In a statement, the alliance calls the agreement “a step forward,” despite describing it as “incomplete.”
Island states "fairly satisfied"
A provision in the agreement concerns a tripling of financial support for climate adaptation, with an end date of 2035. The support concerns the countries most affected by climate change, to which the island states belong.
“Given today’s geopolitical circumstances, we’re actually quite happy with the package that came out,” says Ilana Seid, president of AOSIS.
Several members of the Brics coalition, which includes China and India, praise the agreement.
"We achieved success in a very difficult situation," China's head of delegation Li Gao told the AFP news agency.
The more harsh criticism of the agreement came from representatives of, among others, Panama and Colombia – who primarily focused on the lack of a plan for fossil fuels.
"A climate agreement that doesn't even mention fossil fuels reflects not neutrality, but complicity. Science has been removed from COP30 because it offends the polluters," said Panamanian negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro says it is unacceptable that the agreement "does not clearly state that the cause of the climate crisis is fossil fuels, which science does."
The EU, along with more than 80 other countries, wanted to see a roadmap for the phasing out of fossil fuels, but fossil fuels are not mentioned at all in the final text after oil states like Saudi Arabia fought hard to keep them out.
The countries have agreed to triple the financing of climate adaptation for developing countries, but the target has been postponed by five years – to 2035.
Pressure to address the huge gap between the emissions reductions countries have committed to and what is actually required to exceed the 1.5 degree target as little as possible has been less successful than many countries had hoped. An accelerator to address the shortfall is due to be presented at next year's COP.
