December 10, 2025
by in News

Brazil’s COP of Truth leaves out fossil fuels, deforestation from final deal

The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 was concluded with a deal to keep the world’s ambitions similar, after modest progress on some issues. In a last-minute compromise between the delegates of the wealthy, the poor and the countries most in jeopardy, the declaration from the so-called COP of Truth contains no explicit reference to fossil fuels and deforestation.

Participants at the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Belém, Brazil, acknowledged that the world is heading for a temporary overshoot above 1.5 degrees Celsius in warming, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed. The gap between where we are and what science demands remains dangerously wide. I understand many may feel disappointed – especially young people, indigenous peoples and those living through climate chaos. The reality of overshoot is a stark warning: we are approaching dangerous and irreversible tipping points,” he stated.

It’s difficult to reach a consensus in a period of deep geopolitical divide, Guterres pointed out. Nevertheless, he praised the final agreement for “delivering progress and showing that multilateralism works.”

Global Mutirão

The hosts nicknamed COP30, this year’s UN Climate Change Conference, the COP of Truth. Ironically, due to a last-minute compromise, or maybe consensus, the declaration contains no explicit reference to a fossil fuel phaseout and halting and reversing deforestation. They were left for separate roadmaps.

In the document, the signatories only refer to the COP28 decision, also known as the UAE Consensus, which called for transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The headline of the overarching deal adopted in Belém is Global Mutirão: Uniting humanity in a global mobilization against climate change. The Portuguese word mutirão originates from the indigenous Tupi-Guarani language and roughly means collective effort.

UN’s Stiell vows to keep up climate fight

All in all, delegates from all over the world, except the United States, left the desired decarbonization trajectory little changed. The countries most at risk of the climate disaster are generally poor. They depend on mitigation aid and investments from the wealthy part of the world.

“We knew this COP would take place in stormy political waters. Denial, division and geopolitics has dealt international cooperation some heavy blows this year,” UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said at the closing.

Denial, division and geopolitics has dealt international cooperation some heavy blows this year, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said

In his view, nations chose solidarity, science, and economic common sense.

“COP30 showed that climate cooperation is alive and kicking, keeping humanity in the fight for a livable planet, with a firm resolve to keep 1.5 Celsius within reach. I’m not saying we’re winning the climate fight. But we are undeniably still in it, and we are fighting back,” Stiell stated.

The world’s top climate official noted that, for the first time, 194 countries agreed that the global transition to low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilience is irreversible and the trend of the future, referring to a line from the deal.

COP30 pledges to triple adaptation funds by 2035

In the decision, the signatories kept the target USD 1.3 trillion per year that needs to be mobilized for climate action by 2035. USD 300 billion would be mostly grants and subsidized loans, while private financing and climate taxation dominate the rest.

The parties voted for a goal to provide three times more per year for climate adaptation from the smaller pot by 2035, instead of the initially proposed 2030 deadline. They failed to determine a figure, but it is mostly estimated at USD 120 billion per year.

One of the novelties is a pledge to promote information integrity regarding climate, which would also imply countering disinformation.

Post Views:79
December 3, 2025
by in News

COP30 in Brazil: one decade after Paris Agreement, world is still far from its climate goals

The two-week United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 is taking place in Brazil. It brought together delegations from more than 190 countries to discuss the challenges of climate change and measures for mitigation and adaptation. The current COP marks ten years since the Paris Agreement, at a time of significant hurdles on the path to achieving global climate goals.

According to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization, this year will be the second or third warmest ever recorded on the planet. The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being held in Belém, Brazil — a city situated in the heart of our planet’s lungs, the Amazon rainforest.

Brazil carries symbolic weight, as the UNFCCC was signed there in 1992.

Lula da Silva: Climate change is no longer a threat of the future, it is a tragedy of the present

In the decade following the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP21, some progress has been made in the fight against climate change — but it remains insufficient. In his opening speech, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed that climate change is no longer a threat of the future but a tragedy of the present. He called this year’s summit a “moment of truth.”

When the Paris Agreement was signed, scientific projections were showing that without decisive climate action, global temperatures could rise by more than four degrees Celsius before the end of the 21st century. “We are moving in the right direction, but at the wrong speed,” Lula said, also pointing to climate misinformation as a major obstacle to planning and implementing effective measures.

Guterres: We have failed to stop global warming

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his address that the harsh truth is that the world has failed to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Just days before the summit, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released its annual report showing that, under current policies, the 1.5-degree limit will be reached within the next decade – and the planet will warm by 2.8 degrees by the end of the century.

Guterres: This is moral failure – and deadly negligence

“Even a temporary overshoot will have dramatic consequences. It could push ecosystems past irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unlivable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security. Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement, and loss – especially for those least responsible. This is moral failure – and deadly negligence,” Guterres warned.

Still, he emphasized that the UN has not given up on the 1.5-degree goal. “We have never been better equipped to fight back,” he said, adding that the clean energy revolution is gaining unstoppable momentum.

In the first half of 2025, renewables overtook coal as the top source of global electricity. Renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels, and the cost of electricity storage continues to decline.

The US will not participate in negotiations

One of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters – the United States – has sent representatives to the summit, but President Donald Trump’s administration announced it would not take part in negotiations. In January, he announced that his country would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and later called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” during a speech at the UN in September.

Focus on implementing existing commitments

The main focus of COP30 in Belém is the implementation of previously agreed commitments and the enforcement of the Paris Agreement. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions remains a key topic, alongside the first Global Stocktake – a comprehensive assessment of progress toward the Paris goals, aimed at encouraging countries to submit more ambitious national climate plans.

Despite some progress, the latest nationally determined contributions (NDCs) remain far from sufficient to prevent the most severe effects of climate change.

Another central issue will be the establishment of a New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance – determining the scale, timelines, and mechanisms for funding, as well as the share of resources that must go toward adaptation and support for the most vulnerable communities.

According to UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2025, developing countries will need more than USD 310 billion annually by 2035 to adapt to climate impacts, yet they currently have access to only a fraction of that amount.

Toward a just transition and nature protection

Delegates will also discuss operationalizing the Global Goal on Adaptation, which aims to measure progress in building climate resilience.

Another key topic will be the concept of a just transition, with a proposal to establish the Belém Action Mechanism for Just Transition – a new framework to ensure that climate and economic transitions put people at the center. It would include job creation, retraining programs, and support for communities dependent on fossil fuel industries.

Given that COP30 is taking place in the heart of the Amazon, particular attention is dedicated to nature and forest conservation. Brazil plans to present the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, an initiative designed to secure long-term funding for the protection of tropical forests.

Post Views:23
July 24, 2025
by in News

IRENA: 91% of new renewables units are more cost-effective than fossil fuel alternatives

The fossil fuel age is crumbling, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Renewables maintained their cost leadership in global power markets, the International Renewable Energy Agency said in an annual report. In 2024, onshore wind farms were the cheapest of all versus the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternatives, by 53% on average, while photovoltaic systems were 41% cheaper.

Onshore wind power was also the cheapest in levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) terms, followed by solar power. At the same time, 91% of newly commissioned utility-scale capacity was delivering power at a cost lower than for the cheapest electricity from new fossil fuel–fired units.

The Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2024 report confirmed the price advantage of renewables over fossil fuels, with cost declines driven by technological innovation, competitive supply chains and economies of scale, the International Renewable Energy Agency said. IRENA expects cost reductions to continue, but highlighted the short-term challenges.

Geopolitical shifts including trade tariffs, raw material bottlenecks, and evolving manufacturing dynamics, particularly in China, could temporarily raise costs.

Asia, Africa and South America, with stronger learning rates and high renewable potential, could see pronounced cost declines.

Higher costs are likely to persist in Europe and North America, driven by structural challenges such as permitting delays, limited grid capacity, and higher balance-of-system expenses, according to the update. In contrast, regions like Asia, Africa and South America, with stronger learning rates and high renewable potential, could see pronounced cost declines.

The organization pointed to the need for stable and predictable revenue frameworks to lower investment risk and attract capital.

“Clean energy is smart economics – and the world is following the money,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed. In his view, the fossil fuel age is crumbling.

Capital costs inflating LCOE in developing countries

Mitigating financing risk is central to scaling renewables in both mature and emerging markets. Instruments such as power purchase agreements (PPAs) play a pivotal role in accessing affordable finance, while inconsistent policy environments and opaque procurement processes undermine investor confidence, IRENA added.

In many developing countries of the Global South, high capital costs, influenced by macroeconomic conditions and perceived investment risks, significantly inflate the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of renewables.

Onshore wind power production cheapest by far of all kinds of electricity

In 2024, onshore wind farms were the cheapest of all versus the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternatives, by 53% on average, while photovoltaic facilities were 41% cheaper. Of note, the cost of battery energy storage systems (BESS) declined by 93% from 2010 to 2024, to USD 192 per kWh.

Onshore wind remained the most affordable source of new renewable electricity, with a global weighted average LCOE at USD 0.034 per kWh (USD 34 per MWh), followed by new solar, at USD 0.043 per kWh, and new hydropower plants, USD 0.057 per kWh.

Again per the levelized cost of electricity, 91% of newly commissioned utility-scale renewables capacity was delivering power at a lower cost than the most affordable new fossil fuel–based units.

That said, LCOE increased slightly for solar power, by 0.6%. Onshore wind power was 3% more expensive than in 2023, compared to 4% for offshore wind and 13% for the bioenergy segment. Meanwhile, costs declined for concentrated solar power (CSP), by 46%, followed by electricity from geothermal units, 16%, and hydropower, which slipped 2%.

Solar and wind energy prices have begun to stabilize, which is a natural sign of market maturity, the authors underscored.

Photo: Renewable energy LCOE 2010-2024, in United States dollars per kilowatt-hour (IRENA)

Clear path to affordable, secure, sustainable energy

The addition of 582 GW of renewables capacity in 2024 led to significant cost savings, avoiding fossil fuel use valued at about USD 57 billion, new data shows. Looking at all renewables in operation, the avoided fossil fuel costs in 2024 reached up to USD 467 billion, IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera stated.

New renewable power outcompetes fossil fuels on cost, offering a clear path to affordable, secure and sustainable energy, he pointed out.

Post Views:59