Global Roadmaps on forests and fossil fuels offer an innovative model for climate action

WWF welcomes the roadmaps presented by the COP30 Presidency on transitioning away from fossil fuels and halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.

With a temporary overshoot of 1.5°C now expected, countries must move much faster to deliver concrete progress on existing commitments. Accelerating implementation of the two Global Stocktake commitments on energy and forests and bringing action on climate and nature together will be critical to limiting the severity and duration of that overshoot.

The two roadmaps provide a practical framework and point to a complementary model of international climate cooperation: formal negotiations set the direction, while new tools, coalitions and strategies can support implementation.

The next step is for countries and key stakeholders to translate those frameworks into national action, support countries in planning their own pathways and ensure accountability for delivery.

Daniel Högsta, WWF Global Fossil Fuels Transition Lead, said: “The world has already agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. Now we need to turn that promise into action. This roadmap is a historic opportunity to move from global ambition to real delivery, with every country setting out a clear, fair plan to phase out fossil fuels and rapidly scale up renewable energy.

“No country can do this alone. Stronger international cooperation and finance are essential, with richer countries moving faster and supporting developing countries. Justice, equity and nature must be at the heart of the transition. The direction is clear; now governments must deliver.”

Alongside the energy transition, safeguarding nature is essential to meeting global climate goals. Despite the importance of forests to global economies and livelihoods, the world remains off track to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. WWF welcomes the Forest Roadmap as a policy mechanism to address the lack of action.

Damian Fleming, Senior Director, Forests, WWF Internationa l, said: “The Forest Roadmap gets many of the fundamentals right: governance, enforcement, rights, finance, and the need to tackle degradation as well as deforestation. The challenge now is speed. With 2030 only a few years away, implementation cannot remain voluntary in spirit and fragmented in practice.

“Countries need to use it to turbocharge action for results on the ground. Deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains and governance must be at the centre of action and incorporate the rights, voices and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and those of local communities.”

WWF urges countries to use both roadmaps as a coordinated basis for action across energy and forests. Their success will be judged by measurable progress on the ground.

Mauricio Voivodic, Executive Director, WWF-Brazil, said: “COP30 and its Presidency make an important contribution through the development of an ambitious agenda that connects two urgent challenges for the future of the planet: transforming energy systems and protecting forests. The two roadmaps are part of this legacy and demonstrate that it is possible to turn collective ambition into common frameworks to guide countries’ actions, bringing together agendas that have historically been addressed separately. After all, the true legacy of a climate conference lies not only in the agreements it produces, but in the ambition it inspires and the transformation it sets in motion long after it has come to an end.”

ENDS