Justin Rowlatt,Climate Editorand

Matt McGrath,Environment correspondent

getty

COP30 President President André Corrêa do Lago at a critical moment in the final plenary session of talks

In three decades of these meetings aimed at forging global consensus on how to prevent and deal with global warming, this will go down as among the most divisive.

Many countries were livid when COP30 in Belém, Brazil ended on Saturday with no mention of the fossil fuels that have heated up the atmosphere. Other nations – particularly those with most to gain from their continued production – felt vindicated.

The summit was a reality check on just how much global consensus has broken down over what to do about climate change.

Here are five key takeaways from what some have called the “COP of truth”.

Brazil – not their finest hour

The most important thing to come out of COP30 is that the climate ‘ship’ is still afloat

But many participants are unhappy that they didn’t get anything close to what they wanted.

And despite a great deal of warmth for Brazil and for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, there is frustration with the way they ran this meeting.

Right from the off there seemed to be a gulf between what President Lula wanted this meeting to achieve, and what COP president President André Corrêa do Lago felt was possible.

So Lula talked of roadmaps away from fossil fuels to the handful of world leaders that came to Belém before the official start of the COP.

The idea was taken up by a number of countries including the UK, and within days there was a campaign to get this roadmap formally into the negotiations.

Do Lago wasn’t keen. His north star was consensus. He knew that forcing the issue of fossil fuels on the agenda would rupture that.

While the initial text for agreement had some vague references to things that looked like a roadmap, within days they were gone, never to return.

Colombia and the European Union and around 80 countries tried to find some language that would signal a stronger step away from coal, oil and gas.

To find consensus, do Lago convened a mutirão, a kind of Brazilian group discussion.

It made matters worse.

Negotiators from Arab countries refused to join huddles with those who wanted a pathway away from fossil energy.

The EU were given short shrift by major producers.

“We make energy policy in our capital not in yours,” the Saudi delegate told them in a closed-door meeting, according to one observer.

Ouch!

Nothing could bridge the gap – and the talks teetered on the verge of collapse.

Brazil came up with a face-saving idea of roadmaps on deforestation and fossil fuels that would exist outside the COP.

These were heartily applauded in the plenary halls – but their legal standing is uncertain.

Tom Ingham/BBC

The EU negotiating team at the COP30 plenary

EU had a bad COP

They are the richest group of nations still in the Paris Agreement but this COP has not been the European Union’s finest hour.

While they have been grandstanding on
Read More

Justin Rowlatt,Climate Editorand

Matt McGrath,Environment correspondent

getty

COP30 President President André Corrêa do Lago at a critical moment in the final plenary session of talks

In three decades of these meetings aimed at forging global consensus on how to prevent and deal with global warming, this will go down as among the most divisive.

Many countries were livid when COP30 in Belém, Brazil ended on Saturday with no mention of the fossil fuels that have heated up the atmosphere. Other nations – particularly those with most to gain from their continued production – felt vindicated.

The summit was a reality check on just how much global consensus has broken down over what to do about climate change.

Here are five key takeaways from what some have called the “COP of truth”.

Brazil – not their finest hour

The most important thing to come out of COP30 is that the climate ‘ship’ is still afloat

But many participants are unhappy that they didn’t get anything close to what they wanted.

And despite a great deal of warmth for Brazil and for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, there is frustration with the way they ran this meeting.

Right from the off there seemed to be a gulf between what President Lula wanted this meeting to achieve, and what COP president President André Corrêa do Lago felt was possible.

So Lula talked of roadmaps away from fossil fuels to the handful of world leaders that came to Belém before the official start of the COP.

The idea was taken up by a number of countries including the UK, and within days there was a campaign to get this roadmap formally into the negotiations.

Do Lago wasn’t keen. His north star was consensus. He knew that forcing the issue of fossil fuels on the agenda would rupture that.

While the initial text for agreement had some vague references to things that looked like a roadmap, within days they were gone, never to return.

Colombia and the European Union and around 80 countries tried to find some language that would signal a stronger step away from coal, oil and gas.

To find consensus, do Lago convened a mutirão, a kind of Brazilian group discussion.

It made matters worse.

Negotiators from Arab countries refused to join huddles with those who wanted a pathway away from fossil energy.

The EU were given short shrift by major producers.

“We make energy policy in our capital not in yours,” the Saudi delegate told them in a closed-door meeting, according to one observer.

Ouch!

Nothing could bridge the gap – and the talks teetered on the verge of collapse.

Brazil came up with a face-saving idea of roadmaps on deforestation and fossil fuels that would exist outside the COP.

These were heartily applauded in the plenary halls – but their legal standing is uncertain.

Tom Ingham/BBC

The EU negotiating team at the COP30 plenary

EU had a bad COP

They are the richest group of nations still in the Paris Agreement but this COP has not been the European Union’s finest hour.

While they have been grandstanding on
Read More