Following a difficult first week, Brazil set a deadline for nations to finalize "a significant part" of the negotiations by Tuesday evening for approval the following day.
"It's super difficult as you know... but all involved thought that it's worth a try" said COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago in the rainforest city of Belem where the talks are underway.
Sleepless nights are assured, with Correa do Lago extending the program so negotiators were "able to continue working at night."
They have their work cut out.
No progress has been made to reconcile differences over weak climate commitments, insufficient financial pledges and trade measures.
China and India are leading a push for COP30 to adopt a decision against unilateral trade barriers, singling out the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for attack.
Tested since 2023 and set to become fully operational in 2026, CBAM targets imports of carbon-intensive goods such as steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen.
The head of China's COP30 delegation, Li Gao, told AFP last week that nations should "avoid the negative impact of, for example, geopolitical unilateralism or protectionism."
But the EU's climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, hit back at attacks over the bloc's flagship policy and defended carbon pricing as "something that we need".
"We're not going to be lured into the suggestion that actually CBAM is a unilateral trade measure. And in that realm, we're also not going to discuss it," Hoekstra said in a news conference.
EU and Chinese officials were due to hold talks later Monday.
- Sleepless in Belem -
UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged negotiators to tackle "the hardest issues fast" to avoid going into overtime at the summit's close on Friday.
"When these issues get pushed deep into extra time, everybody loses. We absolutely cannot afford to waste time on tactical delays or stonewalling," he said.
The COP30 presidency published a memo Sunday evening summarizing the divergent viewpoints and proposing options.
Money is again at the heart of the negotiations, after last year's summit in Baku ended with an agreement for developed countries to provide $300 billion annually in climate finance to poorer nations -- a figure criticized as greatly insufficient.
Developing countries, especially from Africa, want COP30 to point the finger at developed nations for falling short on providing financing to help adapt to climate change and cut emissions.
Another divisive issue was a push by island states -- backed by Latin American nations and the EU -- for COP30 to respond to the latest projections showing the world will fail to limit warming to 1.5C.
But major emerging countries, from China to Saudi Arabia, are wary of any text that implies they are not doing enough to curb climate change.
"For Small Island Developing States, 1.5C is not a political slogan. It is a non-negotiable survival threshold for our people, our culture, and our livelihoods," said Steven Victor, the environment minister of Palau, which is chairing the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
- Fossil fight -
Victor told fellow ministers that AOSIS was disappointed over a lack of progress since nations agreed in 2023 at COP28 in Dubai to transition away from fossil fuels.
Host nation Brazil wants COP30 to send an ambitious signal on fossil fuels, but it remains unclear what form this might take.
Even supporters are doubtful that stronger language on fossil fuels could be agreed by all countries at COP30 given fierce opposition from major oil-producing nations, among others.
"At the end of the day... it's about phasing out fossil fuels if we are to solve this problem," a delegate from a European country supportive of Brazil's fossil fuel push told AFP.
"They are not talking about it in the negotiating rooms. Someone has to do something about it."
Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin urged ministers on Monday to agree to "integrated action plans" for transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Alckmin said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva might come to Belem this week, which would be "extremely positive."
"Brazil is committed to combating climate change," he said.
COP30 by the numbers
Belem, Brazil (AFP) Nov 17, 2025 -
Here are key numbers from the UN's 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), the annual climate talks, taking place this year in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belem:
- How many countries? -
A total of 189 countries plus the EU have delegations at the conference, the UN Climate Change agency told AFP on Monday.
But for the first time in COP history, the United States is a no-show because climate-skeptic President Donald Trump decided to shun the event.
Afghanistan was not invited and the Taliban government has voiced disappointment over being excluded.
COP30 is the 30th meeting of the 198 parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
It also serves as the meeting of the 195 parties to the 2015 Paris Agreement (194 countries, plus the EU) -- and is the forum for the most important climate-related negotiations.
All decisions must be made by consensus, which theoretically allows any one of the parties to block an agreement.
- How many people are participating? -
About 44,000 people have been accredited to attend COP30 in person, according to UN Climate Change.
This includes national delegations, their guests, businesses, observers, and members of the media. The figure excludes approximately 6,000 virtual accreditations.
As of Saturday, 26,500 of them had arrived in person, the UN told AFP, including more than 2,100 journalists.
The number is expected to continue to rise during the last five days of the conference.
According to final attendance figures, the media outlet Carbon Brief estimates that COP30 could be the fourth largest COP ever held, the largest being Dubai in 2023.
- How long does it last? -
COPs are held every year in November and last two weeks, usually ending on a Friday.
But no COP has concluded on time since 2003, with negotiators often spending an extra sleepless night to reach agreements. Sometimes it can take two extra nights, as was the case at COP27 in Egypt in 2022.
COP30 kicked off on November 10 and is scheduled to end on November 21.
Pope decries lack of political will on climate change
Vatican City (AFP) Nov 17, 2025 -
Pope Leo XIV on Monday urged "concrete actions" on climate change and complained that some leaders lacked the will to act, as he addressed religious dignitaries on the sidelines of the COP30 summit.
The Vatican released the American pope's address to churches of the southern hemisphere assembled on the sidelines of the UN climate talks in Belem, Brazil, in which he called the Amazon region "a living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care".
"Creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat," the pope said.
"One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes. To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity," he added.
"What is failing is the political will of some."
The UN climate negotiations enter their final stretch this week, with nations split on key issues as government ministers began arriving Monday to take over negotiations.
"There is still time to keep the rise in global temperature below 1.5C, but the window is closing," warned Leo, who called for "concrete actions", while championing the landmark Paris Agreement.
- Pope defends Paris Agreement -
The historic 2015 accord, from which US President Donald Trump has said he will withdraw the United States for the second time, aims to keep temperature rises "well below" 2C compared to pre-industrial levels and, if possible, to 1.5C.
The Paris Agreement was the "strongest tool for protecting people and the planet", Leo said, decrying a lack of effort by some leaders, whom he did not name.
"True leadership means service and support on a scale that will truly make a difference," he said, urging firmer climate action to bring about "stronger and fairer economic systems".
"Let us send a clear global signal together: nations standing in unwavering solidarity behind the Paris Agreement and climate cooperation," he said.
Since being made pope in May, the Chicago-born pontiff -- who spent about 20 years as a missionary in Peru -- has urged more pressure on governments to stop climate change.
Last month, during a climate conference near Rome, he called for an "ecological conversion" to help vulnerable communities.
October marked the 10-year anniversary of the late Pope Francis's landmark climate manifesto "Laudato Si", which appealed for action on human-caused global warming.
COP30, without the presence of the US government, is scheduled to end in five days, but groups of countries still disagree on many issues, including climate ambition, unilateral trade measures, and finance.
Some countries also want a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell welcomed what he called Pope Leo's "strong message".
"His words urge us to continue to choose hope and action," he said.
Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
