BELEM, Nov 21 — The host of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil urged countries to unite for a deal on Friday as a showdown loomed in the summit's final hours over whether the accord should set the world on a clearer path away from fossil fuels.
"This cannot be an agenda that divides us. We must reach an agreement between us," COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago told delegates in a public plenary session at the conference before releasing them for further negotiations.
The rift over the future of oil, gas, and coal underscored the difficulties of reaching consensus at the annual conference, which serves as a perennial test of global resolve to avert the worst impacts of global warming.
A draft text for a deal, released by summit host Brazil before dawn, contained no reference to fossil fuels, dropping entirely a range of options on the subject that had been included in an earlier version.
Scores of countries, including major oil and gas producer nations, had called the options unacceptable, while some 80 governments had come out in support of them.
Panama negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez told a press conference before the plenary on Friday morning that leaving fossil fuels out of the COP30 deal risked turning the talks into a "clown show".
"Failing to name the causes of the climate crisis is not compromise. It is denial," he said.
The two-week conference in the Amazon city of Belem is scheduled to end at 1800 local time (2100 GMT) on Friday. Previous COP summits have blown past their deadlines before eventually reaching a compromise.
A deal text would need the approval of nearly 200 countries present to be adopted.
The United States has declined to send an official delegation this year under President Donald Trump, who has called global warming a hoax.
Corrêa do Lago added that the exit of the world's largest economy meant uniting around COP30 was crucial to ensure the multilateral process survives: "The world is watching."
Fossil fuel focus
For days, nations have wrangled over the future of fossil fuels, whose burning emits greenhouse gases that are by far the most significant contributors to global warming.
Dozens of nations have been pushing hard for a "roadmap" outlining how countries should follow through on a promise made at COP28 two years ago to move away from oil, gas, and coal.
Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations are opposing this, negotiators at COP30 told Reuters. The Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
A negotiator from one developing country told Reuters its government did not oppose a fossil fuel phase-out and was open to negotiating, but was concerned about other issues, including finance.
"You cannot keep saying that things that matter to us are no longer important and that things that matter to the developed countries are the only things that are important," the negotiator said.
Climate finance and trade
The draft called for global efforts to triple financing available to help nations adapt to climate change by 2030, relative to 2025 levels.
However, it did not specify whether this money would be provided directly by wealthy nations or other sources, including development banks or the private sector. That may disappoint poorer nations, who want stronger guarantees that public money will be spent on this area.
Investments in adaptation, like improving infrastructure to cope with extreme heat or reinforcing buildings against worsening storms, are often vital for saving lives but offer little financial return, making it difficult for such investments to attract private finance.
The draft deal would also launch a "dialogue" at upcoming COP climate summits on trade, involving governments and other actors like the World Trade Organisation.
That would be a win for countries, including China, which have long demanded that trade concerns be part of the world's climate summit.
But it may be uncomfortable for the European Union (EU), as demands for such discussions have often focused on the EU carbon border levy, which has faced criticism from emerging markets, including India, China, and South Africa.
