Surging from one country to 62, global support for a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap grew in just nine days at COP30.
This was revealed in an analysis by 350.org, a global grassroots climate organisation working to phase out fossil fuels and promote a just transition to renewable energy.
The report was released following the COP30 Presidency’s issuance of its long-anticipated consultation text, which outlines the major sticking points in Belém: closing the ambition gap created by weak national climate pledges (NDCs) and securing the finance needed to meet global targets.
Speaking before the COP30 presidency yesterday, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Mosese Bulitavu highlighted the surge, warning that even a decade after the Paris Agreement, the world still remains off-track from the 1.5°C limit that will determine the survival of Pacific Island nations.
“For Fiji and across the Pacific, 1.5°C is not a political target, it is a lifeline,” he said.
“Small Island Developing States and least developed countries contribute the least to global emissions, yet we are bearing the greatest costs.
“When a cyclone strikes, it wipes out schools, hospitals, bridges, the foundations of dignity and development, in a single night. And every time we rebuild, we rebuild with debt.”
He said climate finance must be understood as justice, not charity.
“COP30 must deliver a Baku-to-Belém Roadmap that scales finance to the level of the crisis, simplifies access, and guarantees predictability for those of us on the frontlines.
“Climate finance must move from billions to the trillions required, not someday, but now.”
Mr Bulitavu also reiterated that phasing out fossil fuels is essential to bending the emissions curve and protecting the Pacific Ocean.
In response to the analysis, 350.org’s Managing Director of Campaigns and Networks, Savio Carvalho said the world needed a credible response to the gaping hole in climate ambition.
“Turning the COP28 promise into real action isn’t optional; we need urgent action to bring global temperatures down to what is needed for a livable planet,” Mr Carvalho said.
He added that transitioning away from fossil fuels had long been a Pacific demand, and the rapid growth in global support for a phase-out roadmap signals that “the age of fossil fuels is over.”
