COP30: Major Divisions Emerge at Controversial Climate Summit

Sun Nov 23 2025 07:14:03 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The recent COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil, ended with significant divisions and discontent among nations regarding fossil fuel discussions, raising questions about the future of global climate negotiations.

COP30 concluded in Brazil with notable discontent as many countries criticized the lack of a definitive plan addressing fossil fuels. The summit highlighted deep divisions among nations, reflecting the fractured global consensus on climate action. Key takeaways included Brazil's leadership challenges, a disappointing performance by the EU, uncertainties about the future of the COP process, and the rising significance of trade in climate negotiations.

In three decades of these meetings aimed at forging global consensus on how to prevent and deal with global warming, this will go down as among the most divisive.

Many countries were livid when COP30 in Belém, Brazil ended on Saturday with no mention of the fossil fuels that have heated up the atmosphere. Other nations - particularly those with most to gain from their continued production - felt vindicated.

The summit was a reality check on just how much global consensus has broken down over what to do about climate change.

Here are five key takeaways from what some have called the COP of truth.

Brazil - Not Their Finest Hour

The most important thing to come out of COP30 is that the climate 'ship' is still afloat. But many participants are unhappy that they didn't get anything close to what they wanted.

Despite a great deal of warmth for Brazil and for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, there is frustration with the way they ran this meeting. Right from the off, there seemed to be a gulf between what President Lula wanted and what COP president André Corrêa do Lago felt was possible.

Do Lago prioritized consensus, steering clear of any push for fossil fuel discussions that might upset agreement among countries.

Frustrated negotiations led Brazil to suggest roadmaps on deforestation and fossil fuels outside the official COP agenda, which received applause but left their legal stance uncertain.

EU Had a Bad COP

Likewise, this COP was not the European Union's finest hour. They were pushed into a corner on important aspects of the agreement, specifically about tripling funds for climate adaptation, which hampered their ability to extract concessions elsewhere.

The EU found itself yielding to pressures from developing countries while losing ground on fossil fuels.

Future of COP in Question

Delegates raised serious concerns about whether the COP format retains relevance. Questions were raised about the era of flying thousands of delegates to disputes over policy semantics versus urgent climate action.

Activists called for rethinking and retrofitting the COP process to better align with the pressing demands of climate action.

Trade Comes in From the Cold

For the first time, global trade emerged as a significant topic at the summit due to the EU's proposed border tax on high-carbon products. This stirred discontent among key trading partners who felt threatened by these unilateral measures.

Trump Gains by Staying Away - China Gains By Staying Quiet

In contrast, the absence of US leadership under Donald Trump emboldened other countries. Observers noted that China's quiet participation allowed them to focus on economic opportunities while sidelining more contentious discussions.