Belém, Brazil (EFE).- Several Latin American countries halted the closing plenary of the COP30 climate summit on Saturday after objecting to Brazil’s handling of ey decision, prompting a nearly one-hour suspension and highlighting deep frustration over the limited progress on fossil fuels, financing, and adaptation indicators.
Delegations from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay, and Paraguay objected to the fact that the Brazilian presidency approved the final agreements without granting them the floor.
COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago suspended the session to consult with parties and later apologized, but refused to reopen the vote.
“This is the COP of truth and trust. You leave us no choice but to object after the procedural problems observed in this plenary session,” Colombia’s representative, Daniela Durán, said.
Uruguay, speaking for the South Group, also criticized Brazil’s management of the negotiations, which delegates said extended beyond the final session and affected discussions throughout the two-week conference.
The country’s delegation also protested the release of 59 new indicators “with little time for analysis” and without sufficient scientific backing.
“Science is the basis on which Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay decide our investments, water use, and energy planning,” the delegate said.
Panama’s chief negotiator, Ana Aguilar, said she was “extremely disappointed” after Brazil failed to deliver the “transparent process” it promised.
She criticized the late presentation of new adaptation indicators, arguing that countries lacked time to review them.
“We cannot support a result that takes us backwards,” Aguilar said, calling it “unacceptable” that the text states the indicators do not create obligations for climate finance.
UN acknowledges frustration as fossil fuels excluded from final text
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said he understood the “frustration” of countries seeking stronger commitments on fossil fuels.
“Many countries wanted faster progress on fossil fuels, finance, and responses to spiraling climate disasters,” he said in a statement during the closing session.
Stiell praised the summit’s achievements but urged realism.
“With or without navigation aids, our direction is clear: the shift from fossil fuels to renewables and resilience is unstoppable.” He added that the conference took place in “stormy political waters,” yet showed that climate cooperation remains “alive and kicking.”
He also warned against the growing influence of disinformation. “Disinformation actors exploit anxiety and blame everything except the real causes. And the COP of truth is fighting back,” he said.
The final document excludes any mention of Brazil’s proposal to design a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, following firm opposition from a group of oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia.
The summit concluded with a minimal agreement on finance and hydrocarbons, one day after the scheduled end.
Minimal deal on finance, emissions and adaptation amid regional tensions
The summit ended with a reaffirmation of the COP29 agreement: wealthy nations must mobilize 300 billion dollars annually for developing countries, as part of a broader goal of reaching 1.3 trillion in climate finance by 2035.
Emerging economies criticized that the figure includes both public and private funds, despite their calls to triple direct public contributions.
Only 122 countries submitted updated 2035 emissions-reducing targets, far short of the February deadline.
To bridge the gap between existing climate plans and the 1.5°C goal, COP30 and COP31 presidencies launch the Global Implementation Accelerator, a two-year process.
The conference also created more than 100 voluntary, non-punitive adaptation indicators. However, many Latin American nations questioned their scientific basis and lack of methodological detail.
Brazil responded by releasing an additional “roadmap” on adaptation and another on deforestation after the issue received only a brief mention in the final text.
The plenary also approved language stating that climate measures must not become “disguised restrictions to international trade,” a clause accepted by the EU despite concerns over its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). EFE
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