COP30 climate talks stalled amid fossil fuel rift

Fights over fossil fuels and money appear to have stalled the COP30 climate talks, as negotiations dragged into the night with no sign of a deal.

Talks were due to conclude at 18:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Friday, and with many delegates already gone, time is running out to secure an agreement.

Host Brazil had hoped countries would agree to lay out how to move away from fossil fuels, but a draft agreement released on Friday morning made no mention of coal, oil and gas, whose emissions are the main cause of climate change.

That was unacceptable to a group of countries, including the UK, while some poorer nations want stronger cash commitments to help them cope with rising temperatures.

A meeting – or “plenary” – has been scheduled for 10:00 local time (13:00 GMT) to approve some of the less controversial issues.

But there is still no sign of a resolution on the main talking points, mainly the future of fossil fuels and the money developing countries should receive from richer nations.

All countries present at these annual climate talks must reach an agreement in order to approve an agreement.

That can be a challenge. Different nations have competing priorities, based, for example, on their dependence on fossil fuels, their economic position or their vulnerability to climate change.

As a result, the conference often drags on, sometimes for more than a day.

But two-thirds of the signatory countries of the UN climate convention must be present for decisions to be made, according to UN rules.

And since many delegates will leave in the next few hours, the clock is ticking for countries to reach an agreement.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wanted the talks to ensure clearer steps on how countries would move away from coal, oil and gas.

“The world needs a clear roadmap to end its dependence on fossil fuels,” he said before the talks.

It would boost an agreement reached two years ago, at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, where countries agreed on the need to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.”

The idea of ​​a “roadmap” had been backed by dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom, but strongly opposed by oil-producing nations.

Some of these countries argue that they should be allowed to exploit their fossil fuel reserves as others have done in the past.

And they have often called for the focus to be on reducing emissions, rather than fossil fuels themselves, through technologies such as carbon capture.

Many scientists have criticized that approach for not addressing the problem at its source.

Some developing countries have not backed the fossil fuel deal because they want richer nations to hand over money first to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change. Historically, the richest nations have failed to deliver on those promises.

Poorer countries have repeatedly called for greater support, arguing that they face the worst impacts of climate change despite bearing relatively little responsibility for rising temperatures.

The latest version of the agreement, published on Friday morning, did not once mention fossil fuels, which many countries considered unacceptable.

On Friday, UK Net Zero and Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband said he was determined to keep the plan for a roadmap away from fossil fuels “alive” in “one way or another”.

The draft agreement included a call for efforts to triple the financing available to countries by 2030, to help them adapt to climate change.

But he did not say whether this should come from the governments of richer nations or from other sources, such as the private sector.

Despite its desire to achieve a more ambitious deal on fossil fuels, Brazil has come under scrutiny for its own plans.

Its offshore oil and gas production is on track to increase until the early 2030s, according to analysis shared with the BBC by campaign group Global Witness.

The forecast is based on data from respected analysts Rystad Energy, who have confirmed the figures.

But President Lula has repeatedly defended fossil fuel development, arguing that oil revenues can help finance Brazil’s move to cleaner energy.

It has also pointed to its track record in reducing deforestation rates in the Amazon rainforest.

Before the talks, President Lula launched a fund to try to prevent the loss of tropical forests around the world.

But getting nations to commit to the fund has proven a challenge.