UN climate summit removes mention of fossil fuels from draft deal

As COP30 UN climate talks in Belém, Brazil, enter their final stages, all mention of fossil fuels, by far the biggest contributor to climate change, has been removed from the draft agreement being negotiated.

At meetings of nearly 200 countries, draft agreements often go through multiple revisions because all parties must agree before they can be passed.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and some countries, including Britain, hope the summit will lead to commitments from countries to take stronger and faster action to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

An earlier text included three possible ways to achieve this, but that language has now been abandoned due to opposition from oil-producing countries.

Some countries, including the UK, have issued a letter rejecting the new draft agreement.

“We are deeply concerned about the take-it-or-leave-it proposals currently being considered,” the statement said.

“We cannot support an outcome that does not include a road map for a just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.”

Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries are blocking the fossil fuel deal, a source familiar with the negotiations said. The BBC has contacted Saudi Arabia for comment.

French Environment Minister Monique Barbe said the agreement was blocked by “oil-producing countries such as Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, etc., but many emerging countries have also joined it.”

She suggested that small island nations might agree to weaker deals on fossil fuels if they had access to more funding to adapt to national changes caused by rising temperatures.

Regarding France’s position, she said: “At the moment, even if we don’t have a road map, at least mentioning fossil fuels, I think we would accept it. But as things stand, we have nothing left.”

Abandoning this language may be a negotiating tactic to raise the temperature of negotiations and force countries to reach agreement.

The meeting is a fraught and delicate diplomatic process, with countries trying to protect their national interests while also trying to address climate change.

Some observers question the value of complex, legalistic negotiations that almost always exceed expectations.

But others point to significant progress in recent years on measures to combat climate change, including renewable energy, electric vehicles and nature protection linked to the COP agreement.

Other issues discussed at the COP include the gap in climate finance pledged by rich countries to developing countries most affected by climate change.

The new draft agreement calls for a global effort to triple the financing available to countries by 2030.

But it did not say whether this should come from rich countries or other sources, such as the private sector.

That is likely to anger poorer countries, which want stronger support from wealthier countries and have harshly criticized an agreement reached at last year’s COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, which they regard as meager.

Deforestation has been a concern at the conference on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon.

The new draft also weakens language on addressing deforestation.

Kelly Dent, director of external partnerships at World Animal Protection, said: “For a COP in the Amazon to take a back seat to deforestation is shocking.”

“The wildlife and indigenous people who call forests home deserve better.”

The two-week conference was interrupted by two evacuations.

Last week, a group of protesters broke into the COP venue in Belém, holding signs that read “Our forests are not for sale.”

A fire broke out on Thursday, A hole was burned into the cloth covering the venue, causing 13 people to suffer smoke inhalation injuries. The summit was evacuated and closed for at least six hours.

The summit was praised for including the largest representation of indigenous groups to date.