Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Roadmap Gains Massive Global Support at COP30

By: Abudu Olalekan

Wind’s picking up in Brazil. Not outside—inside the negotiation rooms at COP30. What’s got the diplomats buzzing? You guessed it: fossil fuels. The world’s been dragging its feet for years, but this past week? A full-on sprint. What started as one lonely country calling for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels now has sixty-two. Yeah. Sixty-two. That’s no small deal.

Reportersroom reports that this growing coalition includes players from all corners—Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Pacific. Developed countries. Developing ones. Even those stuck in the messy middle. Together, they’re backing a Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) Roadmap. Think of it less like a fixed rulebook, more like a living plan: what nations can (and must) do to get off oil, gas, and coal—for good.

And this isn’t just climate chatter. Something deeper’s shifted. Maybe it was COP28’s historic words—finally admitting we need to “transition away” from fossil fuels. Or perhaps it’s the brutal climate disasters hammering homes worldwide. Either way, you can feel it. There’s momentum now.

Savio Carvalho from 350.org didn’t mince words: “We need real action. Not more promises. Not more delays.” Spot on. And he’s not alone. Activists, scientists, and policymakers are all saying the same thing: the time for polite negotiation has passed. The world is on fire. Literally.

Renewable energy? It’s already booming. Growing faster than any fossil source. But that alone? Isn’t enough. The transition needs to be fair. Can’t just swap oil rigs for solar panels and leave workers jobless or communities forgotten. That’s where the TAFF Roadmap fits in. It’s not a top-down order—it’s built on real-world transition stories. It leans on cooperation, shared technology, and funding. Not just wishful thinking.

But don’t be fooled. Not everyone’s clapping.

Behind closed doors, things are tense. Real tense. Powerful oil-exporting countries—Saudi Arabia, for one—are digging their heels in. They want to sink talks of a fossil fuel phase-out. Prefer to push “sound tech fixes” like carbon capture. Sounds clever, right? Except most experts say it’s not ready, not scalable, and not enough.

Some insiders estimate close to 70 countries might resist even mentioning a roadmap. And why? Because the stakes are that high. This isn’t just about energy—it’s about money, power, influence. Change doesn’t come easy when fortunes are on the line.

And then there’s the elephants in the room. Lots of them. Well, about 1,600, to be precise. That’s how many fossil fuel lobbyists are swarming COP30, says the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition. That’s one out of every 25 people at the summit. More than the ten most climate-vulnerable nations combined. Read that again.

They’re not hiding, either. They’re here holding glossy pamphlets and polished talking points. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné even hit back at critics. Said calling the roadmap a European dream is misguided. Maybe. Maybe not. But giving those who’ve profited from the crisis a seat at the table? Well, that’s a different debate altogether.

Meanwhile, Colombia’s working on a draft declaration to hammer out the fossil exit timeline. It’s expected to drop next week. Brazil’s President Lula—weirdly in the spotlight for both supporting renewables and approving more Amazon oil exploration—has publicly backed the need to cut fossil dependence. So has his environment minister, Marina Silva. She called the roadmap a “planned and fair path.” Let’s hope that sticks.

Let’s be real: clock’s ticking.

Carbon emissions? They just hit another record high this year. The planet’s heading for a 2.6°C temperature rise by the end of the century unless something changes—fast. Johan Rockström from the Potsdam Institute put it plainly: “No win on forests, no win on climate finance, unless we ditch fossil fuels.”

So here we are. Week two of COP30. The world’s watching. Deals are being cut in backrooms. And the fight? It’s not just technical—it’s gut-level political. Either governments pull together and get serious about the fossil fuel phase-out—or history will remember this summit not for ambition, but failure.

Fingers crossed. Eyes open. The future? Still being written.