4th Report from UN Climate Change Conference COP30

14^th – 16^th Nov. 2025 Belém, Brazil

The Conference is soon entering its second week, and Brazil’s chief negotiator, Liliam Chagas, noted that the technical phase of the COP process is nearly complete. The political phase now begins, with ministers arriving—those who hold the real bargaining power at the negotiation tables. This shift is crucial, as there is very little funding available for transition and loss-and-damage efforts, and the current national CO₂ reduction pledges put the world on track for 2.6°C of warming—a catastrophic outcome for people and the planet.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, has urged all countries to commit to a fossil fuel phaseout, calling it the “ethical” response to the climate crisis. The issue remains one of the most contentious at the COP30 summit, with countries divided over whether—and how—a phaseout roadmap should even be discussed. As host, Brazil is maintaining careful neutrality, given its own role as a fossil fuel producer. Panama’s climate negotiator, Juan Carlos Monterrey, captured the frustration succinctly: “It’s quite stupid that we talk about everything else, when fossil fuels are the actual problem.”

The Global Climate March in Belem on Saturday, 15 Nov. gathered 70,000 people, demanding climate justice: ‘We are the response. The historic mobilisation centred the voices absent from COP30’s official negotiations.