From commitment to impact: what comes after COP30

COP30 offered momentum rather than miracles, strengthening finance and resilience, amplifying real-world voices and setting up the next phase of climate action through future roadmaps and international cooperation.

COP30 in Belém last year wrapped up with all the energy of a major global launch event – thorough, strategic and full of momentum, even if it did not produce all the headlines everyone hoped for. The summit delivered serious outcomes on climate finance and implementation, moving the conversation away from vague slogans and towards measurable action. Most notably, countries agreed to significantly increase funding for climate adaptation and resilience, showing that helping vulnerable nations cope with climate impacts is finally being taken seriously on the world stage. There were also big pushes on just transitions, gender action and technology cooperation, with initiatives designed to unlock investment, support workers shifting to clean economies and pay closer attention to community needs. 

While the final agreement did not include a formal, binding roadmap to phase out fossil fuels or a detailed plan to halt and reverse deforestation, momentum around these topics did not disappear. More than 80 countries backed the idea of a fossil fuel transition roadmap, but consensus was not found in the official text and explicit references to fossil fuels and deforestation were ultimately omitted. Instead, the COP30 presidency and supportive governments announced that two roadmaps – one on transitioning away from fossil fuels and one on ending deforestation – will be developed outside of the formal negotiation text and are expected to be brought forward at the following COP. 

Next on the calendar is COP31, set to be hosted by Türkiye later this year, where many expect these draft roadmaps to take a more concrete shape and possibly move closer to inclusion in future climate frameworks. There is also a scheduled international conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, in April 2026 focused on advancing a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap through voluntary cooperation among willing countries. Recent fossil fuel developments, including new extraction initiatives, make these upcoming discussions more urgent than ever, reminding the world that ambition must translate into action. 

A defining feature of COP30 was how real voices were heard alongside the official process. Mass protests and activist delegations pushed for stronger action, and Indigenous representatives made their presence felt with sustained advocacy and protest, ensuring that community rights and land stewardship were visible in side events and some plenary conversations. The Amazon setting underlined that climate action is not just about targets and treaties but also about landscapes and lives. 

COP30 did not deliver every bold headline, but it did deliver direction. It laid down the groundwork for implementation, emphasised finance and resilience, and pointed clearly towards future roadmaps and collaborative fora where fossil fuels and deforestation will be tackled in more detail. With Türkiye hosting COP31 and international phase-out discussions kicking off next spring, the story of climate diplomacy is moving from big statements towards coordinated, multilateral action that organisations can now build into their ESG strategies with confidence, creativity and a bit of verve. The summit showed that climate progress is fragile but not optional and that the world cannot afford to give up now.