Following bitter rows, the UN climate summit COP30 in Belém, Brazil has ended with a deal that contains no direct reference to the fossil fuels that are heating up the planet. It is a frustrating end for more than 80 countries including the UK and EU that wanted the meeting to commit the world to stop using oil, coal and gas at a faster pace. But oil-producing nations held the line that they should be allowed to use their fossil fuel resources to grow their economies. The meeting takes place as the UN says it fears global efforts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels have failed.
A representative for Colombia furiously criticised the COP presidency for not allowing countries to object to the deal in the final meeting on Saturday, known as a plenary. Colombia believes that we have sufficient scientific evidence saying that more than 75% of the global greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuels, Daniela Durán González, Colombian Climate Delegate, told BBC News. The final deal, called the Mutirão, calls on countries to voluntarily accelerate their action to reduce their use of fossil fuels.
For the first time, the US did not send a delegation after President Donald Trump said the country will leave the landmark Paris treaty that committed countries to act on climate change in 2015. Veteran negotiator and former Germany climate envoy Jennifer Morgan told the BBC that the US absence was a hole in the negotiations. In a 12-hour negotiation overnight, when you have oil-producing countries pushing back hard, to not have someone counteracting on that, it certainly was hard.
Despite its desire for a more ambitious fossil fuel agreement, Brazil was criticised for its own plans to drill for oil at the mouth of the Amazon. Its offshore oil and gas production is on course to increase until the early 2030s, according to analysis shared with the BBC by campaign group Global Witness. The two weeks of talks were at times chaotic, with poor conditions hampering negotiations. Even with the disappointing results, some nations expressed hope for future discussions.
A representative for Colombia furiously criticised the COP presidency for not allowing countries to object to the deal in the final meeting on Saturday, known as a plenary. Colombia believes that we have sufficient scientific evidence saying that more than 75% of the global greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuels, Daniela Durán González, Colombian Climate Delegate, told BBC News. The final deal, called the Mutirão, calls on countries to voluntarily accelerate their action to reduce their use of fossil fuels.
For the first time, the US did not send a delegation after President Donald Trump said the country will leave the landmark Paris treaty that committed countries to act on climate change in 2015. Veteran negotiator and former Germany climate envoy Jennifer Morgan told the BBC that the US absence was a hole in the negotiations. In a 12-hour negotiation overnight, when you have oil-producing countries pushing back hard, to not have someone counteracting on that, it certainly was hard.
Despite its desire for a more ambitious fossil fuel agreement, Brazil was criticised for its own plans to drill for oil at the mouth of the Amazon. Its offshore oil and gas production is on course to increase until the early 2030s, according to analysis shared with the BBC by campaign group Global Witness. The two weeks of talks were at times chaotic, with poor conditions hampering negotiations. Even with the disappointing results, some nations expressed hope for future discussions.
