Ministers from a broad range of countries gathered in Belem for COP30, using a joint appearance to push for a global plan that would steadily move the world away from coal, oil and gas. Representatives from states such as Germany, Colombia, the United Kingdom and Kenya stood alongside Marshall Islands climate envoy Tina Stege, who appealed for a shared effort - a spirit she compared to the Brazilian notion of Mutirao - to create a roadmap guiding the transition away from fossil fuels. Colombia has been rallying support for including such a plan in the final COP document, with negotiators saying about 80 nations now back the idea. Although the concept builds on the agreement reached at COP28 in Dubai, the accelerating rise in emissions and ever-worsening climate indicators have heightened concerns that the talks among nearly 200 nations still lack the urgency needed.

This year’s summit has been framed as a turning point for implementing previous promises, not simply making new ones. Much of the pressure revolves around the emissions targets countries had to submit under the Paris Agreement. Assessments of the pledges show that even if every country meets its commitments, global temperatures are heading far above the 1.5-degree Celsius limit agreed a decade ago. Current trajectories point toward 2.6 to 2.8 degrees of warming by the end of the century - a level scientists warn would bring dangerous and irreversible tipping points. With that in mind, the COP30 Presidency circulated a draft text outlining several potential paths, ranging from annual progress checks to a collective emissions-cutting roadmap aimed directly at phasing out fossil fuels. Climate experts have described this first draft as unusually coherent, suggesting it offers a real opening for the host country to deliver a significant political result.

Stege cautioned that the existing references to a fossil-fuel transition plan remain weak, presented merely as optional language. Others share her concern. Oxfam Germany’s Jan Kowalzig argued that none of the proposals on the table adequately address the widening gap between the cuts needed to keep warming in check and the lower level of action countries have pledged. The coalition supporting a robust fossil-fuel phase-out is also preparing for resistance from major producers like Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have historically pushed back against efforts to place strong fossil-fuel language in COP agreements.

Alongside the debate on emissions, finance has emerged as another central dispute. Developing nations warn that adapting to climate impacts is becoming unaffordable without a significant increase in support. Sierra Leone’s environment minister, Jiwoh Abdulai, said countries on the front lines of floods, storms and rising seas face adaptation costs that are rising far faster than their national budgets can handle. A UN Environment Programme report estimates that developing states will require roughly 310 billion dollars a year by 2035 to cope with worsening climate impacts.

Representatives from small island states voiced similar frustration. Vanuatu’s Ralph Regenvanu told delegates that current financial mechanisms are failing countries most exposed to the crisis. He stressed that climate finance is not charitable giving but an obligation rooted in the responsibility of major emitters. The COP30 draft proposes a three-year plan spelling out clearer expectations for how much wealthier countries should provide, alongside a proposal to triple the current 40-billion-dollar annual goal for adaptation funding. Germany, which remains the largest contributor to the adaptation fund, announced another 60-million-euro commitment at this year’s summit. Experts say the presidency has created the space for agreement but warned governments that they have only days left to show they can close the investment gap.

Another point of contention involves the intersection of climate measures and global trade. Some countries worry that emerging policies - whether carbon border fees or stringent green standards - could function as hidden trade barriers that disproportionately hurt developing economies. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which imposes a carbon cost on imported goods, has drawn particular criticism from states that say it could make their exports less competitive. China and India are pressing for an explicit stance against such unilateral measures. The EU, however, has pushed back, with its climate chief arguing that the bloc will not be drawn into what he described as a misleading debate over trade. The draft text offers possible solutions, including an annual UN meeting to examine climate-related trade rules or a new forum dedicated to evaluating their economic effects.

The United States, despite being the second-largest emitter, chose not to attend this year’s gathering - a decision noted by many delegates as the conference moves toward its scheduled conclusion. But with previous COPs frequently running beyond the deadline, negotiators expect the final discussions to continue until countries decide whether they can deliver a united roadmap for the transition they have long promised.