COP30 negotiations at difficult stage, says minister

Minister for Climate Energy and Environment, Darragh O'Brien, who is attending the COP30 summit at Belem in Brazil has said the climate negotiations have reached a difficult stage.

He said European ministers see wide gaps in the proposed text of a final agreement that was presented to them earlier.

That text did not include any reference at all to fossil fuels, or to the development of a roadmap for the transition away from fossil fuels.

This has drawn much criticism from many countries.

A total of 85 countries at the talks had backed the call for such a road map to be included in the text.

Earlier, a group of 30 countries including most EU members as well as the UK, Columbia, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Palau and Mexico wrote to the COP30 Presidency to express their deep concern regarding the proposed agreement.

In the letter they said it does not meet the minimum conditions for a credible COP outcome and that they cannot support any outcome that does not includes a roadmap for implementing a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.

The letter also said the exclusion of a roadmap for addressing climate-nature interdependence, particularly to halt deforestation is deeply concerning.

Panama's climate envoy criticises climate denial

Panama's climate envoy, Juan Carlos Monterrey said avoiding mention of fossil fuels in the text document amounted to climate denial.

"It fails the Amazon, it fails science, it fails justice, and it fails the people we are here to represent," he said.

"A climate text that cannot mention fossil fuels is a climate text that refuses to speak the truth.

"A forest COP with no deforestation commitment - it's simply unthinkable," he added.

"A climate text that cannot mention fossil fuels is a climate text that refuses to speak the truth."

Minister O’Brien said fossil fuels are the main cause of global warming and the fact that we would not even have a reference to that in the proposed text, or a road map for phasing out fossil fuels, seems inexplicable.

He said that strident statements were expressed by different countries later in the day when a Mutirao meeting was convened to discuss the perceived gaps in the document.

The minister said a bloc of Arab nations, as well as a bloc of African nations were not in agreement with the European stance about transitioning away from fossil fuels.

"The Arab nations are saying countries must decide for themselves what fuel sources to use and they don’t want any reference to transitioning away from fossil fuels," he said.

"I think there is an element of nerves being frayed somewhat, and people being much more open to using undiplomatic language."

"Europe is willing to be constructive, and we know we might have to move further, but the text as it is right now is just not acceptable," Mr O'Brien added.

"It doesn't speak to bridging the emissions gap that our environmental NGOs want, that civil society wants, and that our people want.

"We need additional climate measures and the acceleration of existing measures."

The climate negotiations are expected to continue into the small hours of tomorrow morning as negotiators try to iron out a more acceptable deal.