COP30 Climate Summit: Nations Divided Over Fossil Fuel Phaseout as Brazil's Draft Agreement Falls Short

Negotiators found themselves deeply divided on the final day of the UN climate talks in Brazil, with European representatives firmly rejecting the host nation's latest draft agreement due to its notable omission of fossil fuel phaseout plans.

The COP30 summit in Belem faced a critical challenge: demonstrating that international climate cooperation remains viable in today's fractured geopolitical landscape while producing an agreement that would keep global warming within the vital 1.5°C target—all without the participation of a Trump-led United States.

After two weeks of intense discussions in the Amazonian city, Brazil's Friday draft text conspicuously lacked any mention of "fossil fuels" or even the term "roadmap" that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva himself had proposed in recent weeks.

European Union climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra expressed his dissatisfaction in a statement to AFP, saying: "This is in no way close to the ambition we need on mitigation. We are disappointed with the text currently on the table."

France's ecological transition minister, Monique Barbut, characterized the omission as "incomprehensible" given the urgency of the climate crisis.

Approximately 30 nations had previously written to the Brazilian presidency warning they could not accept any final agreement lacking a concrete plan for transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The letter, spearheaded by Colombia, explicitly stated: "We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap for implementing a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels."

According to an anonymous negotiator, several major economies—including China, India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Russia—have rejected the fossil fuel roadmap concept.

The UN climate talks require consensus among all participating nations—nearly 200 countries—to finalize an agreement.

Environmental organizations also rejected the proposed deal, with Greenpeace urging participating nations to return it to the Brazilian chairperson for significant revisions.

Greenpeace climate politics expert Tracy Carty noted: "Hopes were raised by initial proposals for roadmaps both to end deforestation and fossil fuels. But these roadmaps have disappeared and we're again lost without a map to 1.5C and fumbling our way in the dark while time is running out."

The divisions extend beyond fossil fuel policies to encompass trade measures and financial support for developing nations adapting to climate change and transitioning to low-carbon economies.

Rachel Cleetus, senior policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told AFP: "The lack of finance from richer nations... remains an ongoing obstacle in these final days to securing bold and fair outcomes."

Hoekstra indicated that while the EU was "willing to be ambitious on adaptation," any financial language should align with commitments established at COP29 in Baku, where developed nations agreed to provide $300 billion in annual climate finance.

The EU is also confronting resistance led by China and India to its carbon border tax on imports such as steel, aluminum, cement, and fertilizers—measures that Britain and Canada are also preparing to implement.

Thursday's negotiations were disrupted when a fire burned through the fabric ceiling of the COP30 venue, necessitating an emergency evacuation.

Officials reported that nineteen individuals received treatment for smoke inhalation and two for anxiety attacks. The venue reopened later Thursday evening.

While the conference is scheduled to conclude Friday, UN climate summits frequently extend beyond their official end dates.

President Lula has characterized COP30 as the "COP of truth," investing significant political capital in its success while defending his decision to host it in Belem despite infrastructure concerns that have troubled the hot, humid Amazonian city.

The fire marked the third major incident at the COP30 complex since the summit began.

In previous days, Indigenous protesters stormed the venue and later blockaded its entrance in a peaceful demonstration.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, though Brazilian Tourism Minister Celso Sabino suggested it might have resulted from an electrical malfunction or short circuit.