In a dramatic escalation at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil, at least 29 countries have threatened to block any final agreement that fails to include a concrete commitment to phase out fossil fuels.
Red Line Drawn in Climate Negotiations
The simmering tension reached boiling point on Thursday night when a coalition of nations delivered a strongly worded letter to the Brazilian Cop presidency. The leaked document, seen by The Guardian, demands that a roadmap for "transition away from fossil fuels" must be included in the summit's final outcome.
According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Brazil had been preparing to drop the potential resolution addressing fossil fuels amid staunch opposition from several petro states. Saudi Arabia and Russia are among the leading voices against the measure, joined by major fossil fuel consumers including India and China.
Fire Adds to Summit Chaos
The already tense negotiations faced further disruption when a fire broke out in part of the conference centre near delegation offices. The incident forced talks to be suspended for more than six hours, though fortunately no injuries were reported.
Prior to the fire, some countries opposing the fossil fuel roadmap had threatened to walk out of the talks entirely. The two-week summit in Belem was scheduled to conclude on Friday evening, but the combined delays mean discussions are likely to continue into the weekend.
Global Stocktake Commitment at Stake
The current standoff represents a critical test of the historic commitment made at Cop28 in Dubai last year, where countries agreed for the first time to "transition away from fossil fuels." However, that agreement lacked both a timeline for implementation and concrete measures to achieve the goal.
Since the Dubai summit, some nations - particularly Saudi Arabia - have attempted to weaken the commitment. An effort to reaffirm the pledge failed during Cop29 talks in Azerbaijan last year amid similar opposition.
This year, proponents of the phase-out adopted a different strategy. More than 80 countries joined an initiative to create a forum where all nations could participate in discussions about a potential transition roadmap. This approach would not impose firm deadlines on any country and would allow individual nations to determine their own pathways.
The letter signed by the 29 nations states unequivocally: "We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap for implementing a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels. This expectation is shared by a vast majority of Parties, as well as by science and by the people who are watching our work closely."
The signatories to the letter include:
- Austria, Belgium, Chile, Colombia
- Costa Rica, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia
- Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala
- Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg, the Marshall Islands, México
- Monaco, the Netherlands, Panamá, Palau
- Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
- The United Kingdom and Vanuatu
As the talks enter their final critical hours, the fossil fuel dispute threatens to overshadow other crucial issues, including inadequate national climate plans that fail to limit global heating to 1.5C as outlined in the Paris agreement, and ongoing questions about climate finance for developing nations.
