Bishop John Arnold, Bishop of Salford and Lead Bishop for the Environment for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has issued the following statement following the conclusion of the COP30 UN climate change conference, which took place in Belém, Brazil, from 10-21 November 2025.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the United Nations’ annual meeting held to assess progress in dealing with climate change.COP30 offers an important opportunity for countries to recommit to the multilateral promise made through the Paris Agreement: to limit the rise of average global temperature to well below 2°C, commit to net zero and to assist poorer countries to reach climate targets.
“At the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil we were reminded once again of the pressing need to transition away from fossil fuels and recommit to keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5C degrees.
“I was pleased to see that so many countries, including the UK, expressed support for building a roadmap to end fossil fuel use globally and pledged to strengthen efforts to tackle climate change in line with the global 1.5C goal.
“It is disappointing that references to phasing out fossil fuels and action on deforestation were not included in the COP30 draft agreement. These issues are at the heart of the climate crisis and affect the poorest and most vulnerable communities.
“The time has passed for scepticism or delay on climate change. We are already seeing its effects in this country and around the world – and they will only worsen.
“As Pope Leo reminded the delegates at the start of the summit: ‘As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift He entrusted to us. But we must be honest: it is not the agreement that is failing, we are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some.'”
Recognising the many signs of constructive cooperation at the summit, Bishop Arnold added: “While the challenges remain, I was encouraged by the renewed spirit of multilateralism during the summit. Also, young people, indigenous communities and faith groups showed real leadership in keeping the care of the common home at the heart of the discussions.
“These meetings require consensus across all participant countries. Failure to achieve that consensus is not an excuse for inaction either by our own government or through other multilateral forums.
“I encourage Catholics to pray that we become ever-more effective stewards of God’s creation and that our political leaders act accordingly. I also invite political leaders, once more, to recommit to their pledges to reduce carbon emissions, promote policies that preserve the natural environment whilst also extending support to poorer countries which are already suffering from effects of global warming.”
