This article is by Chon Kwon-pil and read by an artificial voice.



The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) closed Sunday without reaching an agreement on phasing down fossil fuels, despite days of tense negotiations. While Korea formally declared an end to coal power, global momentum toward a fossil fuel exit appears to have stalled.

According to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the conference - held in Belém, Brazil - concluded at 9 a.m. Sunday, a day later than initially scheduled. Approximately 50,000 participants from around the world gathered for the summit, where 149 countries adopted the so-called "Belém political package," including the "Mutirão decision," which outlined climate action plans for the next decade.

The Mutirão decision - named after a Brazilian Indigenous term meaning "collective effort" - commits to science-based, equitable and multilateral cooperation in response to the climate crisis. It also includes a pledge to triple funding for climate adaptation to $120 billion by 2035.

Fossil fuel phaseout scrapped

Despite being a key agenda item, the proposed road map for phasing out fossil fuels failed to win consensus. Brazil, as the host nation, pushed for an end to fossil fuel use with the backing of 80 countries. But the proposal faced fierce opposition from major oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, as well as some developing countries. The deadlock delayed the closing session, and the final agreement omitted any mention of fossil fuels altogether.



The Washington Post described the outcome as capping "a year of victories for fossil fuel interests in international talks," highlighting how much the global political landscape has shifted in the decade since the Paris Agreement.

"There is significance in maintaining momentum for climate action despite external headwinds," said Yeh Sang-wook, a professor of marine convergence engineering at Hanyang University. "But it is regrettable that the most critical issue - a fossil fuel phaseout - was not codified, leaving the pace and direction of energy transition unclear."

Korea declares coal exit, climate leadership missing

The Korean delegation at COP30 advocated for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to low-carbon energy. It announced a new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target to cut emissions by 53 to 61 percent from 2018 levels by 2035. Korea also became the second Asian country to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), officially declaring its coal exit.



However, as COP30 marked the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, many observers noted a lack of meaningful progress. Instead, the conference highlighted a growing leadership vacuum in global climate efforts. The United States, on the verge of formally withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, did not send a government delegation - a first for the COP - while China refrained from taking a strong stance on reducing fossil fuel emissions.

"As COP30 ends, the reality is clear: bold titles and grand promises have not translated into meaningful action," wrote Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who chaired COP20 and now heads global climate and energy policy at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in a post on Saturday. "Hope was offered but not delivered. The absence of a credible plan to address the climate crisis and the failure to recognize core drivers of the climate crisis, like fossil fuels, speaks volumes. These countries lack the political will to take bold action."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.