Brazil’s COP30 presidency pushed through a compromise climate deal on Saturday. The agreement promises more financial support for poorer countries dealing with global warming, but it leaves out any mention of the fossil fuels that cause it.
Brazil hoped the deal would show that countries can still work together on climate change, even though the United States — the world’s largest historical emitter — chose not to send an official delegation.
The head of the U.N. climate agency, Simon Stiell, admitted the deal disappointed many people. Still, he praised countries for coming together during what he called a year filled with “denial and division.”
“I’m not saying we’re winning the climate fight,” Stiell said. “But we are still in it, and we are fighting back.”
The agreement came after two long weeks of difficult talks in the Amazon city of Belém. It revealed major disagreements about how the world should handle climate action in the future.
After the deal passed, Brazil’s tired COP30 President, André Corrêa do Lago, told delegates that he knew many had wanted a stronger outcome.
Several countries protested the deal because it did not include tougher plans to cut greenhouse gases or address fossil fuels directly. Colombia, Panama, and Uruguay raised many objections, forcing the session to pause for further discussions.
When the meeting resumed an hour later, Brazil said the decisions would stand.
Colombia’s negotiator argued that fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change and said her country couldn’t support an agreement that ignored scientific evidence.
“A consensus imposed under climate denialism is a failed agreement,” she said.
Russia’s delegate, Sergei Kononuchenko, accused the objecting countries of “acting like children who want all the sweets.” Many Latin American delegates said the remark was insulting and defended their right to speak up for their nations.
The objections from the three Latin American countries were not about the main political deal but about one of the technical texts being approved at the same time. They, along with the European Union, wanted the agreement to include wording about transitioning away from fossil fuels. But countries such as Saudi Arabia insisted fossil fuels should not be mentioned at all.
After tense overnight talks, the EU agreed not to block the final deal, even though it did not fully support it.
“We should support the deal because at least it moves in the right direction,” said EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.
Finance Boost
The summit also launched a voluntary program to speed up climate action and help countries meet their emissions-reduction promises. It calls on wealthy nations to triple the money they give to developing countries for climate adaptation by 2035.
Developing countries say they need this money urgently as they face rising seas, extreme heat, droughts, floods, and stronger storms.
Avinash Persaud, a special advisor to the Inter-American Development Bank, said the focus on finance was important. But he warned that the world still fell short on fast, emergency grants for countries dealing with climate-related losses and damage.
Several countries, including Sierra Leone, also objected to a list of indicators they are expected to measure — such as food security — to prepare for climate impacts. Sierra Leone’s climate minister said the list was “unclear, unmeasurable, and unusable.”
Fossil Fuel Side Text
A major dispute between the European Union and the Arab Group over fossil fuels pushed the negotiations past Friday’s deadline. Talks continued all night before a compromise was found.
On Saturday morning, Brazil announced it would release a separate “side text” on fossil fuels and forests because countries couldn’t agree on including it in the main deal. Brazil urged countries to keep discussing these issues in the future.
The final agreement also begins a process to examine how global trade rules can better support climate action, as some countries worry that new trade barriers are slowing the spread of clean technology.
