COP30 in Belém, Brazil : civil society calls for a clear plan to finance Climate Justice

As the COP30 Leaders’ Summit opens, the release of the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap supposed to chart the path toward $1.3 trillion in climate financehas triggered a wave of criticism from global civil society. Environmental, feminist, and humanitarian organizations describe the document as lacking vision, dominated by private interests, and riddled with political ambiguity.

A “compassless plan,” says Climate Action Network International

According to Rebecca Thissen, Global Advocacy Lead at Climate Action Network International, the document “looks more like a draft than a compass.”

“It certainly points in the right direction by emphasizing finance for a just transition,” she said, “but it fails to provide a clear pathway to reach the $1.3 trillion goal. Public finance remains underestimated, giving way once again to the old belief that ‘private finance will save us.’”

Fossil fuel subsidies still untouchable

A similar sentiment comes from the Talanoa Institute.

Caio Victor Vieira is surprised that a roadmap intended to prepare the world for a carbon-free future “carefully avoids addressing the phase-out of harmful fossil fuel subsidies, even though these fuels are responsible for over 70% of global emissions.”

> “Ignoring this weakens any credibility around the idea of a just transition,” he insists.

Greenpeace calls for taxing the carbon giants

For Carolina Pasquali, Executive Director of Greenpeace Brazil, the path to climate justice must begin with more public financing.

> “The massive profits of the fossil fuel industry must be part of the solution,” she argues. “Taxing major polluters would be a major opportunity to support developing countries and advance climate justice.”

A technocratic document with no vision of justice

Critics agree that the roadmap is bogged down in a technocratic mindset.

Friederike Strub of Recourse condemns “a catalogue of measures aligned with the so-called ‘Wall Street Climate Consensus,’” while Rachel Simon of CAN Europe urges Belém “to turn Bakou’s intentions into a concrete plan based on grants, not debt.”

Between disillusion and moral urgency

The disappointment is echoed by Sandra Guzman of GFLAC, who describes the roadmap as “superficial and lacking transformative impact,” and by John Nordbo of CARE, who calls it “a failure toward the world’s most vulnerable communities.”

In Morocco, Iskander Erzini Vernoit of IMAL calls for “new inclusive processes based on the Paris Agreement,” while Lina Adil of Germanwatch warns against “diluting climate justice in the pursuit of scale.”

A financial architecture still colonial?

Some voices go further, denouncing the persistence of an unequal system.

Shereen Talaat, from the feminist movement MENAFem, argues that “the roadmap perpetuates a colonial logic that keeps the Global South trapped in debt.”

Similarly, Mariana Paoli of Christian Aid laments that “climate decisions remain subordinated to profit-driven logic.”

“A road to nowhere”

In conclusion, Fanny Petitbon of 350.org summarizes the prevailing sentiment:

> “This roadmap risks becoming a road to nowhere. If COP30 is to bridge the ambition gap, it must secure massive commitments from the Global North to finance the South’s energy transition.”

Between hope and skepticism

Despite the criticism, many NGOs still view COP30 as an opportunity to refocus global efforts on climate justice, financial transparency, and the leadership of the Global South. Yet one conviction remains: without a decisive break from the dominance of private finance, the road from Baku to Belém could end up as a political dead end.