Brazil’s cop30 fossil fuel transition plan stalls, but colombia steps up to continue the fight

Despite Brazil’s ambitious promises to lead the world toward a fossil fuel-free future, COP30 in Belém ended without the concrete action plan many had hoped for. The two-week climate summit, which concluded November 22nd in the heart of the Amazon, was billed as the “implementation COP” and the “COP of the truth” – yet once again failed to deliver an official roadmap for phasing out planet-warming fossil fuels.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the summit with a powerful call for action, invoking the Indigenous concept of “mutirão” – a collective effort to achieve concrete results. “We need road maps that will enable humankind, in a fair and planned manner, to overcome its dependence on fossil fuels,” Lula declared. His fossil fuel transition proposal initially gained unexpected momentum among delegates, building on COP28’s historic commitment to move away from fossil fuels. However, the plan mysteriously disappeared from the final agreement, never making it onto the official agenda despite widespread expectations.

The failure stings particularly given Brazil’s glaring environmental contradictions – the country approved new oil exploration off the Amazon coast just weeks before hosting the climate summit. Now Colombia has stepped into the leadership void, announcing it will host a dedicated summit in Santa Marta in April 2026 specifically focused on fossil fuel transition planning. This represents a new chapter in global climate action, as countries seek alternative paths forward when the official UN process falls short of addressing humanity’s most pressing environmental challenge.