The COP30 climate negotiations in Belém were thrown into uncertainty on Friday after the European Union rejected the latest draft agreement prepared by the Brazilian presidency, arguing that the text lacks clarity, ambition and the decisive signals needed to accelerate global emissions cuts.
In a sharply worded statement, EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the 27-nation bloc found the draft “far too weak” and made clear that “under no circumstances” would it support the agreement in its current form.
While the EU indicated it could move on climate finance for developing countries, it stressed this would only be possible if the agreement’s language on emissions reduction was significantly strengthened.
As talks stretched into the evening, several European negotiators said privately that the bloc was considering withdrawing from the discussions altogether rather than accepting a deal it sees as insufficient.
The scenario alarmed the Brazilian hosts.
“This process must not divide us. We need to find a collective solution,” urged André Corrêa do Lago, president of COP30, in a hastily convened plenary session before negotiations resumed late into the night.
The EU’s stance prompted pushback from several emerging economies, which accused the bloc of focusing solely on fossil-fuel language while failing to offer firm guarantees on long-promised climate finance.
“We cannot move forward on just one track,” said a negotiator from a developing country, speaking anonymously due to the closed-door nature of the talks. “If there is a pathway on fossil fuels, there must also be a credible pathway on finance.”
Fossil-fuel language disappears from the text
The draft agreement released early Friday by Brazil surprised delegates: it contains no explicit reference to coal, oil or gas, despite days of intense debate over the future of fossil fuels.
An earlier version still included several options on phasing out or reducing fossil-fuel use.
Those references were removed after pushback from a bloc of major hydrocarbon-producing nations. Yet nearly 80 countries had urged COP30 at the start of the summit to include a clear roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, the primary driver of global warming.
According to several negotiators, many of those same countries signaled behind closed doors late Friday that they were now ready to accept an agreement without explicit fossil-fuel language — a strategic shift that reflects deep divisions within the talks.
A Brazilian negotiator told Reuters it was “highly unlikely” that wording on fossil fuels would be reintroduced, as the presidency was aiming only for “minor adjustments” to the current draft.
One option still under discussion would be a separate, voluntary side agreement on fossil-fuel transition — not subject to unanimous approval, unlike the main COP text.
Finance emerges as a central battleground
The Brazilian proposal urges nations to double global funding for climate adaptation by 2030 compared with 2025 levels.
But it remains vague about the sources of that money — whether it should come directly from wealthy nations, from development banks, or from private finance.
For many developing countries, this uncertainty makes the offer insufficient to compensate for the absence of a stronger commitment on fossil fuels.
To be adopted, the agreement requires unanimous support from nearly 200 parties — a substantial hurdle as positions harden and negotiations spill past the summit’s official Friday deadline.
A tense COP marked by the absence of the United States
This year’s conference unfolds under unusual political conditions, notably the absence of the United States after the withdrawal ordered by President Donald Trump, who continues to dismiss global warming as a “hoax”.
The Brazilian presidency, which framed COP30 as a “critical moment for global cooperation”, is now scrambling to avoid a diplomatic collapse.
“Demonstrating that multilateralism still stands is, in itself, a crucial signal,” Corrêa do Lago insisted.
With deep divisions over fossil fuels, emissions reductions and climate finance, observers expect an intense and uncertain end to the summit — one that will test the world’s ability to maintain a united front against the escalating climate crisis.
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