Fire Disrupts COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil as Negotiators Race Against Deadline for Global Action

TV footage captured flames and smoke billowing inside the venue.

Belem, Brazil:

Negotiations at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil were interrupted Thursday when fire erupted in the venue, forcing an evacuation precisely as delegates were intensifying efforts to reach a climate action agreement.

Earlier that day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had urged participants to finalize a deal, expressing support for calls demanding clarity on the controversial issue of global fossil fuel reduction.

With less than 24 hours remaining before the scheduled conclusion, nearly 200 participating nations were still seeking consensus. Brazil, the host country, has emphasized that securing an agreement represents a crucial step toward enhancing global climate action and demonstrating broad support for transforming decades of COP summit promises into concrete action.

Shortly after midday, security cameras captured footage of flames igniting at an exhibition pavilion. The fire rapidly spread up an internal fabric shell lining the walls and ceiling before being extinguished.

According to organizers, thirteen individuals received treatment for smoke inhalation. The local fire department reported the blaze was likely triggered by electrical equipment—probably a microwave—and was contained within six minutes.

Thousands of delegates evacuated as security personnel formed a human barrier across the hallway.

DRAFTING DOCUMENTS, DEADLINES MISSED

A source informed Reuters that negotiations were not expected to resume until Friday morning. Safety assessments permitting, consultations between the presidency and negotiating blocs might continue Thursday evening.

The summit had already failed to meet its self-imposed Wednesday deadline for reaching agreement on critical issues including climate finance expansion and fossil fuel phase-out.

Brazil circulated a draft proposal for part of the COP30 agreement among select governments on Thursday, which notably lacked a roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Emissions from fossil fuel combustion trap heat in Earth's atmosphere and constitute the predominant contributor to global warming.

The draft proposal, obtained by Reuters, contained other elements for a potential agreement. It indicated countries would call for tripling financing for climate adaptation by 2030, relative to 2025 levels. However, it failed to specify whether wealthy governments would provide this funding directly or if it would come from alternative sources like development banks or private sector investments.

Brazil's COP30 presidency did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the draft text.

Some negotiators mentioned they had been working on the draft text just before the evacuation, while others claimed it hadn't been shared with them.

It is standard practice at COP summits for the presidency to develop text with small country groups before bringing all governments together to approve the final agreement.

FOSSIL FUEL RIFT

The two-week negotiation has become deadlocked on two key issues—fossil fuel's future and climate finance delivery—exposing complex divisions between negotiating blocs representing wealthy Western nations, oil producers, and smaller states most vulnerable to climate change.

Following Brazil's lead, dozens of countries including both developed and developing nations have pushed for a roadmap outlining how countries should transition away from fossil fuels.

Others, particularly some fossil fuel-producing nations, continue to resist.

The COP28 climate summit in 2023 agreed, after extensive deliberation, to a transition, but nations have yet to determine how or when this will occur.

"I am perfectly convinced that a compromise is possible," Guterres stated.

ADAPTING TO CHANGE

Another significant obstacle in negotiations is reluctance among certain wealthy nations to guarantee financing for poorer countries' climate adaptation efforts, according to three sources involved in discussions.

Developing countries already harbor deep suspicion regarding the $300 billion climate finance pledge made during the COP29 conference in Baku, especially as the United States withdraws from climate cooperation under President Donald Trump.

Previous Reuters reporting revealed that some existing climate finance has been directed toward questionable projects, including some channeling billions back to wealthy nations.

"Right now, our people are losing their lives and livelihoods from storms of unprecedented strength which are being caused by warming seas," said Steven Victor, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment for the Pacific island nation of Palau.

"If we leave Belem without a transformative outcome on adaptation for the world's most vulnerable, it will be a failure," he emphasized.

European officials acknowledged the importance of adaptation financing but indicated they lacked authorization to commit to new targets.