Countries Reveal Divergent Priorities in COP30 Fossil Fuel and Forest Roadmaps

Country submissions to COP30's two roadmap processes — on transitioning away from fossil fuels and on halting deforestation by 2030 — reveal wide differences in national priorities shaped by development needs, energy security and domestic economic conditions. Developing countries have placed climate finance at the centre of both processes, while the Bonn climate conference is expected to test whether the roadmaps move beyond procedural frameworks.

COP30's Presidency initiated the dual roadmap processes during the closing plenary in Belém, establishing structured submission and consultation tracks to translate the high-level commitments of the UAE Consensus into operational national plans. The fossil fuel transition roadmap seeks to track how countries intend to deliver on the COP28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, while the deforestation roadmap monitors implementation of the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use, signed by over 140 countries in 2021.

Submissions from developing countries reveal a consistent message: fossil fuel transitions and forest protection are achievable, but only with predictable, accessible and grant-based finance from developed nations. This position is at the core of India's Bonn submissions, which emphasise that energy transition costs for large developing economies are substantial and must not be borne by the countries least responsible for historical emissions. The submissions expose familiar fault lines between historical emitters and development-stage economies.

The Bonn climate sessions under SB64 are assessing the state of roadmap submissions and drafting technical guidance for national planning. Civil society observers note that without binding timelines and independent verification, the roadmaps risk becoming another layer of process without catalysing the real-economy changes needed to keep 1.5°C within reach. The test will come at COP31 in Türkiye, where ministers will need to decide whether roadmap outputs translate into revised and more ambitious NDCs.

Key figure — Glasgow Leaders' Declaration signed by over 140 countries in 2021