Fossil Fuel Tensions Erupt at COP30 UN Climate Summit

Sat Nov 22 2025 01:27:35 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil face turmoil as nations clash over fossil fuel reductions amid mounting pressure and extending deadlines.

The COP30 climate talks in Brazil have descended into chaos as representatives grapple with conflicting views on fossil fuel reductions. Key disagreements involve oil-producing nations resisting strong commitments, while some countries push for accelerated transition away from fossil fuels amid the urgency of climate action.

A bitter row over fossil fuels has broken out at the COP30 UN climate talks in Belém, Brazil, as the meeting formally runs over time.

At the heart of the row is a disagreement over how strong a deal should be on working to reduce the world's use of fossil fuels, whose emissions are by far the largest contributor to climate change.

The dispute pits groups of countries against each other, but all 194 parties must agree in order to pass a deal at the two-week summit.

Representatives and observers from inside a guarded negotiating room say the talks have become very difficult.

One negotiator inside the room told the BBC that there is a lot of fighting.

The talks were meant to finish at 1800 local time (2100GMT) and will now spill into overtime. But the cruise ships that many delegations are staying on due to lack of accommodation in Belém depart the city on Saturday, piling on the pressure.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and some countries including the UK want the summit to commit nations to stronger, faster action to reduce their use of fossil fuels.

It would advance a deal made two years ago, at COP28 in Dubai, that committed countries to transition away from fossil fuels.

A first draft of an agreement in Brazil offered three options including timeframes, but the latest version has no mention of fossil fuels.

French Environment Minister Monique Barbut said the deal was being blocked by oil-producing countries - Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, but joined by many emerging countries. She added: As it stands now, we have nothing left.

Speaking to journalists outside the negotiating room, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband said the UK was determined to keep alive at the talks a plan to take further action on fossil fuels.

Some developing countries have not backed the deal on fossil fuels because they want richer nations to first deliver on promises to give climate finance to help them cope with or adapt to the effects of climate change.

The meeting is fraught and delicate as countries protect their national interests while addressing climate change. Outside, campaigners chant fossil fuels out while some defend the complex negotiation process. As countries jostle for influence, the need for meaningful climate action hangs in the balance.