Catholic groups regret lack of urgency in COP30 deal

‘We take two important fights to COP31: developed countries finally delivering the finance vulnerable countries need, and a uniting around the fossil fuel transition commitment.’

Catholic leaders drove a justice-focused agenda in the final phase of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, but expressed frustration with draft agreements that lacked full commitments to climate finance, fossil fuel reduction and support for vulnerable countries.

In a message to participants, Pope Leo called for “unwavering solidarity behind the Paris Agreement and behind climate cooperation”, while a statement issued last week by cardinals, bishops and Catholic organisations emphasised the moral urgency of the climate crisis. 

After two weeks of intense negotiations, the final agreement issued over the weekend was deemed a modest step forward. It failed to establish a scheme to phase out fossil fuels, but a majority of countries remain committed to the COP process as a forum to bring countries together to address the climate crisis.

CIDSE – an international network of Catholic social justice organisations including Cafod – lauded the renewed spirit of multilateralism on display amid “the sobering reality that mechanisms for action still lag behind the urgency of the current climate crisis”.

It welcomed “the vibrant presence of civil society, indigenous peoples, and local communities reclaiming their place at the centre of climate conversations”. The People’s Summit, which ran alongside the official COP, “gave a platform to frontline communities systematically excluded from decision-making spaces – reminding the world that climate justice can’t be separated from social, economic, and ecological justice, nor from ancestral knowledge or nature”.

The CIDSE statement said the COP had “secured the Belém Action Mechanism [so that] a just and equitable transition continues, one that ensures no one is excluded or sacrificed politically, socially, or economically in the name of climate ambition and action”.

The mechanism will support countries to ensure that the transition to sustainable economies is just and inclusive. CIDSE said that “countries need to step up their ambition and immediately establish a mechanism to phase out of fossil fuels”.

Liz Cronin, Climate Policy Lead at Cafod, said: “We take two important fights to COP31 in Turkey next year: developed countries finally delivering the non-debt-creating finance climate-vulnerable countries need, and a uniting around the fossil fuel transition commitment that was hard-won two COPs ago. Without both, a 1.5°C world is out of reach.”

On 21 November the Jesuits for Climate Justice campaign held a press conference at COP30 explaining the dangers climate change poses to many across the world and calling for debt cancellation and climate finance.

Antonio Yayrator Korkuvi – a young Catholic delegate from Ghana, representing the International Federation of Catholic Parochial Youth Movements in Belém – lamented that “those who caused the problem, the Global North, are hesitant even to provide the finance needed for communities to adapt”.

Lorna Gold, Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Movement, said faith communities have been leading where governments have fallen behind.

“Fossil fuel divestment is a moral imperative in response to the growing climate crisis,” she said. “As governments continue to fall short, it is hugely encouraging to see faith groups taking the lead.”

She said faith institutions have become pioneers of change, with over 600 faith-based organisations worldwide committing to divestment from fossil fuels and redirecting assets toward clean energy and sustainable development.

The Bishop of Salford John Arnold, who leads on the environment for the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, said it was “disappointing that references to phasing out fossil fuels and action on deforestation were not included” in the draft agreement despite the support of the UK and other countries.

“These issues are at the heart of the climate crisis and affect the poorest and most vulnerable communities,” he said. “The time has passed for scepticism or delay on climate change. We are already seeing its effects in this country and around the world – and they will only worsen.”

However, he welcomed the “the renewed spirit of multilateralism during the summit” and the participation of young people, indigenous communities and faith groups.

“These meetings require consensus across all participant countries. Failure to achieve that consensus is not an excuse for inaction either by our own government or through other multilateral forums,” he said.

“I encourage Catholics to pray that we become ever-more effective stewards of God’s creation and that our political leaders act accordingly. I also invite political leaders, once more, to recommit to their pledges to reduce carbon emissions, promote policies that preserve the natural environment whilst also extending support to poorer countries which are already suffering from effects of global warming.”

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