The final agreement produced at the COP30 meeting where representatives of nearly 200 countries met to address the issue of climate change makes no mention of transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Eighty-three countries, including most European Union countries, the UK, and Small Island States, expressed support for the idea of a coalition or joint effort to abandon the use of fossil fuels globally. But a group of nations opposed to even mentioning the end of fossil fuels in any COP30 document – led by Saudi Arabia and its allies along with Russia – successfully prevented any anti-fossil fuel language.
An initiative led by the Colombian government and endorsed by 24 other countries was launched at the meeting. It produced a document calling for a collective effort at a “just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels, aligned with trajectories compatible with limiting the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” The coalition also announced the holding of the first Conference on the End of Fossils, to be held in the Colombian city of Santa Maria in April, 2026.
The intense two weeks of the conference that could not put in place any real decisive efforts to address climate change are a testament to the tremendous power wielded by the global gas and oil industry. Those industries generated over $4 trillion in revenue last year. Protecting that revenue stream overrides any other considerations for those involved in that business. In our own country, the petroleum industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars to influence elections and government office holders. That kind of money results in a tremendous amount of influence in policy.
