"COP30 deal exposes fragile climate unity as US steps back" Article Reflection No. 162 (11/24/2025)

Article: “COP30 deal exposes fragile climate unity as US steps back”

Reflection:

In the Reuters article “COP30 deal exposes fragile climate unity as US steps back,” journalist Richard Valdmanis reports on the developments of COP30 as it comes to an end. With the US’s lack of support during the COP30 process, there was increased difficulty in pushing for a clean energy transition, according to the article. Although there was an agreement across almost 200 nations, the process was difficult and the finalized deal does not explicitly state fossil fuels. Additionally, the EU’s efforts to push for clean energy were unsuccessful at this conference, with Saudi Arabia leading the efforts against this transition. In terms of accomplishments, COP30 was, however, able to change developing nations’ climate adaptation fund budgets to three times the previous allocated amount. 

I was most surprised when I read about how fossil fuel(s) were not mentioned in the finalized COP30 deal. This is COP30. The COP30. Considering how, only a little over a decade ago, nations decided that they shall combine efforts to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere, the outcomes of this conference show how drastically things can change within the span of several years. When comparing the US in 2014 to now, the aspect that stands out to me most is the executive branch. How were COP20 and COP26 different from each other?