COP30: The Truth COP? 

“A climate text that cannot mention fossil fuels is a climate text that refuses to speak the truth”—Juan Carlos Monterry Gómez 

COP30: The Truth COP? 

By Cecile Wilson 

For Canada and the world, the outcome of November’s 30th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Belém, Brazil had some bright spots among the biggest disappointments.   

Good COP 

On the Good COP side, Canada signed on to the Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change. Dubbed “the COP of Truth” by Brazil’s president Lula da Silva, this was the first time the effects of misinformation and disinformation on climate change action have been addressed at the international meeting.   

What does “Information Integrity” mean? The declaration acknowledges the importance of access to “consistent, reliable, accurate and evidence-based information on climate change” as a prerequisite for all segments of society to respond to “the urgency of the climate crisis”, including “citizens, communities, businesses…civil society organizations [and] media organizations.” 

The Declaration also supports the protection of climate journalists and those defending their rights to a clean and healthy environment from threats and intimidation. Global Witness reported that in 2024, 146 people were murdered or disappeared for protecting their environmental human rights. In Canada, we’ve seen Indigenous people arrested for blocking projects on their traditional territories. 

By signing on to the Declaration, Canada agrees to promote the integrity of climate change information locally, as well as nationally, and to ensure that climate information is understandable so that citizens are empowered to respond appropriately to the climate crisis.  

Mind the gaps 

Re.Climate’s 2025 report, What Canadians Really Think About Climate Change, points to some current gaps in climate communication. For example, while a majority of Canadians are worried about what climate change may bring in the next five years (69 per cent), the outlook for future generations (76 per cent), and want their governments to prioritize renewable energy (77 per cent), only 49 per cent of survey respondents correctly identified the burning of fossil fuels as the main source of pollution causing the climate crisis, even when presented with a selection of choices.  

This lack of comprehension of the primary cause of the climate crisis leads to inappropriate assessments of how to protect the people and places we love. In Stuck in the Middle:Why Canadians Feel Trapped Between Climate Action and Oil Expansion, Cara Pike reports that 72 per cent of Canadians believe that it is possible to build fossil fuel pipelines to the east and west coasts and still meet emissions targets! Spoiler alert: it is not.  

This misconception may arise from misleading messages from fossil fuel corporations. These corporations often present a “green” image by pointing to reductions in operational emissions. However, the pollution caused by burning fossil fuels far outstrips operational emissions.   

Messages like these seem to muddy the advertising transparency and accountability that the Declaration is seeking to promote. At the same time, the Carney government has proposed amendments that would roll back parts of greenwashing legislation from 2024. One of those amendments would remove the need for businesses to prove their claims are true by meeting “international standards”. Unfortunately, Canada does not have domestic standards for testing the veracity of greenwashing claims.  

Bad COP 

On the Bad COP side, the bid to create a “roadmap” for transitioning away from fossil fuels did not materialize, despite having committed to such a phase-out at COP28 and having support from over 80 countries. A number of oil-producing and oil-importing countries blocked the move and effectively created a veto.  

Several countries from around the world refused to be stymied by this development and drafted their own response: The Belém Declaration. An International Conference on the Just Transition Away From Fossil Fuels will be held next year in Santa Marta, Columbia and co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands. Santa Marta is a large coal port. Part of the rationale for holding the conference there is to demonstrate that it is not just small island states that urgently want to move away from fossil fuels. Producer nations do, too.  

Sadly, Canada did not sign the Belém Declaration even though climate scientists agree that the only way to prevent catastrophic warming is to reduce our use of fossil fuels. This begs the question: Where do Canada’s intentions lie?  

What you can do 

Gain further insight on COP30 by attending Green Drinks Ottawa on Thursday, January 9. Robb Barnes from Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment will speak about his COP experience.  

Did you know that Ottawa has its own project to find and counter misinformation on climate change? Check out the CAFESOttawa.ca website, click on “Projects”, then “CAFES Climate Misinformation Project”.  

Watch the video of the Belém Declaration on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative’s YouTube channel.  

Cecile Wilson is a resident of the Glebe and a member of CAFES’ Climate Misinformation Project and the GCA’s Environment Committee.