COP30 Outcome: NRGI Reactions

On the COP30 outcome on transition minerals

Antonio Hill, Advisor, Just Transition, Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)

“Leaving minerals out of the final COP30 outcome is a costly mistake — for people, for the planet, and for the integrity of global climate action. Talk of a just transition rings hollow so long as governments ignore the minerals required by the energy systems of the future. By looking the other way, governments are feeding delay, forfeiting leadership, and forsaking the chance to anchor equity and justice at the heart of the global energy transition. Minerals don’t appear in COP30 decisions, but they won’t disappear from COP negotiations — the issue is here to stay.”

Nafi Quarshie, Africa Director, Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)

“Leaving minerals out of the final COP30 outcome is a costly mistake for people, for the planet, and for the credibility of global climate action. Across Africa, the minerals that will power the world’s clean energy future are found in the lands and communities that have long carried the burdens of extraction. Minerals can and should be an engine of sustainable development for our continent, but once again, the world has missed the chance to align that promise with climate action.

Africa won’t let this debate fade away. Minerals may not appear in the COP30 decision, but they are central to a just transition and they will remain on the agenda until governments treat this as both a climate and development imperative.”

Melissa Marengo, Senior Programs Officer, Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)

“By excluding minerals from the final COP30 outcome, negotiators have let down the communities and ecosystems in the Global South that stand on the frontlines of the energy transition. The exponential increase in demand for these minerals is already putting enormous pressure on land, water, and livelihoods. This pressure is particularly risky in regions like the Amazon, where the costs of extraction are measured in human and ecological loss.

Minerals may not have made it into the text, but they are now firmly on the COP agenda — and the debate will only grow louder. COP30 should have been the space to set clear safeguards and accountability for this next phase of the transition. Instead, it has left producing countries without a pathway to ensure that the shift away from fossil fuels does not come at the expense of people and nature.”

On the COP30 outcome on phasing out fossil fuels

Ana Carolina González Espinosa, Senior Director for Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)

“The announcement to develop the roadmap to guide the world’s fossil fuel exit provides no guarantee we’ll reach the destination, but it shows that this challenge has become impossible to ignore. If done right, this can be the starting point for stronger, accountable commitments — and will require a heavy lift to fill in many blanks in coming months. Turning words into action will also require a step shift in financial support to ensure the shift is fair and feasible. Without that, expecting people and communities in oil-producing regions across the Global South to embark on high-stakes transitions remains a pipe dream.”