The president of COP30, André Correa do Lago, adjourned the closing session of the UN climate summit on Saturday for consultations. This followed complaints from several countries that their concerns regarding parts of the agreement had not been adequately addressed. The principle of unanimity applies in the plenary session. Colombia announced its rejection of parts of the final declaration.
Chaos and uncertainty initially reigned at the conference venue. Legally, the individual parts of the final declaration are considered adopted with the gavel of the COP president. However, countries normally have time to submit a statement before the gavel is struck, if they wish. Colombia had requested to speak but was not given the opportunity to do so. Whether Brazil can simply ignore Colombia's strong opposition is currently unclear, according to observers. The escalation demonstrates the dissatisfaction of some South American and European countries with the Brazilian presidency.
A breakthrough had been reported previously.
It was previously reported that the delegates had reached an agreement on a final text after difficult negotiations. This text includes measures for accelerated climate action, as well as a review of trade barriers and a tripling of financial aid for developing countries to help them cope with the consequences of climate change. The final plenary session, relevant for the vote, began somewhat late on Saturday afternoon (local time).
The Brazilian presidency also wanted to present a supplementary agreement on fossil fuels outside the regular agreement. The EU is expected to agree to this, even though the word"fossils" is only mentioned indirectly. The draft resolution does not contain the word"fossils" at all; it merely refers to a call made at the penultimate COP in Dubai. At that time, a"transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems" was called for.
The EU would have liked more – a “minimal compromise”
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the EU would have liked to see"more ambition" in the outcome of the conference. However, it will not oppose the final text planned by the Brazilian presidency. Diplomats from the EU circle spoke of"no satisfactory result." "It wasn't a step backward, it wasn't a step forward, but a step to the side," observers of the process told APA. The term"minimal compromise" was frequently used.
EU Parliamentarian Lena Schilling (Greens) saw it as"a step in the right direction," but no one could be satisfied."As long as the phase-out of coal, oil and gas is not unequivocally enshrined, we will fall short of what science demands and what people worldwide need."
Delegates deliberated late into the night on Saturday, attempting to reach an agreement on whether fossil fuels and their harmful effects on the climate should be mentioned in the document. EU Climate Commissioner Hoekstra had previously not ruled out the possibility of the conference ending without a final declaration, which would have been tantamount to a failure.
Adaptation financing will be tripled, according to Malawi.
The group of least developed countries (LDCs), however, reported a success:"We didn't win in all areas, but we achieved a tripling of adaptation financing by 2035," wrote Evans Njewa from Malawi, chairman of the 44-country group, on X. Adaptation financing refers to money that rich countries give to poorer ones to better cope with the consequences of global warming—such as droughts, storms, or forest fires.
Unanimity principle in plenary sessions
The principle of unanimity applies in plenary sessions. The EU coordinated this again this morning. Austria's Environment Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) had already left on Thursday due to prior commitments and is being represented by an official.
Meanwhile, the grounds of the UN Climate Change Conference in the Amazonian city have already been partially dismantled. The national pavilions, which had already been closed following the fire on Thursday, were being prepared for removal. Refrigerators with drinks and water dispensers were also temporarily missing, and some food stalls were already closed. However, on-site supplies remained available – unlike at other COPs during the extended conference.
The end was scheduled for Friday.
The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) was originally scheduled to end on Friday evening after two weeks. However, due to the dispute, the negotiations were extended.
