By Caroline Varin and Lucas Parolin

November 20, 2025 - China and the EU have suggested exploring new language around a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, an initiative backed by around 80 countries, to get a deal over the line at the UN Cop 30 climate summit.

The transition away from fossil fuels has become one of the main topics at Cop 30, after 80 countries — including developed and developing nations — asked the presidency to put it firmly on the negotiating table yesterday. But the call is facing some resistance, mainly from some economies heavily reliant on hydrocarbon production.

Xia Yingxian, deputy head of China's delegation, said today that the narrative at Cop 30 on the shift away from fossil fuels could be framed in another way, focusing on renewables, "to try and change the tone a little bit from negative to positive," he said. "I believe this would be more than welcome", he added.

China is working to transition away from fossil fuels, Xia said. He added that he believes the outcome of Cop 28 in 2023 "has defined the objectives for a future pathway to transition away from fossil fuels".

Almost 200 countries agreed at Cop 28 in Dubai to a call to transition away from fossil fuels "in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner… so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science". The outcome, also referred to as the first global stocktake, called for renewable energy capacity to treble and energy efficiency to double, both by 2030. It also called for "accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power".

EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra struck a similar tone earlier today. "We very much like" the roadmap, he said, speaking on behalf of the EU. He suggested that flexible wording could bring more countries into the discussion, and saw a benefit to widening the focus to the other elements of the Cop 28 decision, such as renewables and energy efficiency.

"In the UAE, we first had a conversation about phasing out [fossil fuels] which was the preference of the EU and many others, but was unacceptable to some", he said.

The disagreements on including a roadmap on moving away from fossil fuels are largely tied with finance issues, but it is worth fighting for, Guatemala's vice-minister for natural resources and climate change Edwin Josue Castellanos said.

Adaptation Talks

Developing countries are calling for adaptation finance provided by developed nations to reach $120bn/yr by 2030 — up from a goal of $40bn this year. The topic is another point of contention in the Cop 30 negotiations. Developed countries so far refuse to move beyond the public finance pledge to developing nations of $300bn/yr by 2035 made last year at Cop 29. But some have signalled that there could be room for adjustments within that goal.

The EU stands by its finance commitments and wants to ensure more money will reach the most vulnerable countries, such as small island developing states and least developed countries, Hoekstra said today. But a Guatemalan negotiator said he disagrees with this, pointing out that all developing countries were vulnerable to climate change and needed funds for adaptation. The focus should be on the quality of finance and its access, he said.