No deal better than a bad deal - Bas Eickhout

Belém, Brazil. Today, the current draft agreement being negotiated in Brazil as part of the UN Climate Chance Conference (COP30) shows a significant watering down of ambition. There is now no reference in the text to the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) and barely any momentum on how to close the ambition gap between the global goals on climate change and action. 

Bas Eickhout MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group and Member of the European Parliament delegation to COP30, comments: 

“With this text as it stands, no deal is better than a bad deal. The latest drafts have no reference to the phase out of fossil fuels and nothing ambitious on mitigation.

“Failure to reach an agreement on a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels would not only be a big win for petrostates, but also for Trump & his hard right allies.

“It’s been a decade since the Paris agreement and the 1.5c degree window is rapidly closing. The world’s answer to the climate crisis cannot be weak texts and low ambition.  

“We will continue to push for a strong and forward looking agreement that includes the phase out of fossil fuels, tripling ambition on climate adaptation. No one can seriously expect us to win the fight on the climate crisis if we don’t deal with the elephant in the room: phasing out fossil fuels.

“President Lula raised the stakes earlier this week and now it’s time for him and everyone here in Belém to deliver and make this COP a success.”