Nations at COP30 must cancel fossil-fuel concessions to keep the Paris agreement in reach
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Article Date: 18 November 2025
Article URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03780-4
Article Image: https://media.springernature.com/full/nature-cms/uploads/product/nature/header-86f1267ea01eccd46b530284be10585e.svg
Summary
The correspondence argues that to keep the Paris Agreement—and particularly the 1.5 °C ambition—within reach, nations meeting at COP30 must withdraw concessions and incentives that support fossil-fuel production and expansion. The authors warn that continuing to permit or subsidise new fossil-fuel projects undermines global mitigation pathways and increases the risk of climate tipping points. They call for immediate policy shifts at the summit to prioritise renewable deployment, end fossil-fuel favours, and align national commitments with science-based carbon budgets.
Key Points
- Maintaining the 1.5 °C goal requires rapid, deep reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions and avoidance of new fossil-fuel infrastructure.
- Fossil-fuel concessions (subsidies, permits, incentives) prolong extraction and lock in emissions, making Paris targets harder to meet.
- Cancelling concessions at COP30 would reduce planned future emissions and signal policy alignment with scientific carbon budgets.
- Assumptions about temporary overshoot and future carbon draw-down are risky; preventing added emissions now is far more reliable.
- Policy action at COP30 should prioritise support for renewables, phase out fossil-fuel favouritism, and protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of delayed mitigation.
Content Summary
The authors frame the 1.5 °C target as still technically possible but increasingly precarious if governments continue to authorise or incentivise fossil-fuel expansion. They emphasise that relying on future carbon removal to compensate for ongoing emissions is a high-risk strategy. The piece urges negotiators and national leaders at COP30 to cancel policy measures that enable new fossil-fuel projects and to replace them with clear commitments to accelerate renewable energy and just transition measures.
The correspondence is concise and directed at policymakers: it presents the cancellation of fossil-fuel concessions as a practical, immediate lever that can reduce future emissions trajectories and restore credibility to nations’ climate commitments.
Context and Relevance
This article is important because COP30 is a pivotal moment for aligning international policy with the remaining carbon budget for 1.5 °C. It ties into broader trends: rising global emissions, mounting evidence of climate tipping points, and growing scrutiny of policies that implicitly lock in long-term fossil-fuel use. For anyone tracking climate policy, energy transition, or international negotiations, the correspondence highlights a clear and actionable demand that could influence national positions and the overall ambition of the summit.
Author style
Punchy and direct: the authors keep the focus tight on an urgent policy fix (cancel concessions) and stress the scientific stakes. If you care about the integrity of the Paris targets, this is written to prod decision-makers into action.
Why should I read this?
Cut to the chase — this short piece tells you what really needs doing at COP30 if we want any chance of keeping 1.5 °C alive. No waffle: stop rewarding fossil-fuel expansion, back renewables, and stop assuming techno-fixes will bail us out later. Read it if you want a quick, science-grounded take on what negotiators should prioritise.