Cop30 delivers key wins for africa and climate justice, but stalls on critical fossil fuel phase-out

The COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, concluded with a mixed bag of results that highlighted both progress and persistent challenges in global climate action. While negotiators failed to reach agreement on a worldwide fossil fuel phase-out—a critical goal many hoped would define this year’s talks—the summit delivered significant victories for African nations, Indigenous communities, and climate adaptation efforts.

Among the most celebrated achievements was the establishment of a Just Transition Mechanism, which African negotiators called “historic.” This framework aims to ensure that the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy happens in a fair, inclusive way that reduces rather than deepens global inequality. For the first time in international climate negotiations, “clean cooking” was formally recognized as part of just transition planning—a crucial win for the 680 million Africans currently lacking access to clean cooking solutions. Richard Muyungi, chair of the African Group of Negotiators, emphasized that addressing energy poverty was finally acknowledged as essential for development.

The summit also produced concrete financial commitments, with countries launching a roadmap to triple adaptation finance by 2035 and adopting the Belém Adaptation Indicators—new benchmarks to track global progress on climate adaptation goals. Sierra Leone’s Environment Minister Jiwoh Abdulai noted that while COP30 didn’t deliver everything Africa sought, meaningful progress was made on technology transfer and capacity building. However, the failure to secure binding commitments on fossil fuel reduction continues to cast a shadow over global climate efforts, raising questions about whether the pace of change can match the urgency of the climate crisis.