Fossil fuel phase-out roadmap missing from new COP30 draft — Report

Countries at the COP30 climate talks are facing renewed tension after a new COP30 draft was released this week without any reference to a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap, a move that has sparked pushback from nations demanding stronger action. 

The updated text emerged early Friday in Belém, where negotiations are running beyond schedule as governments debate how to move forward and why a key commitment has been removed.

The Fossil fuel phase-out roadmap missing from the new COP30 draft Report comes despite a warning from at least 29 countries that they would block any final deal that does not include a plan to transition away from fossil fuels. 

Their letter, revealed on Thursday, asked the Brazilian presidency to restore the roadmap to the final outcome of the talks.

An earlier version of the COP30 draft from Tuesday included an option to begin shaping such a roadmap. But the new “mutirão” text published early Friday removed both the roadmap and any mention of “fossil fuels”. 

According to reports, Brazil faced significant pressure from some petrostates including Saudi Arabia and Russia as well as major fossil fuel consumers such as India – to drop the reference.

Talks were already strained on Thursday, when some countries threatening to walk out were interrupted after a fire broke out in part of the conference centre, halting negotiations for more than six hours.

A letter seen by the Guardian shows that governments pushing for the roadmap view it as a “red line”. 

It states: “We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap for implementing a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels…” and warns that anything weaker would be viewed as a step backward.

That demand builds on last year’s Global Stocktake, agreed at COP28 in Dubai, where countries pledged for the first time to “transition away from fossil fuels” but did not set timelines or details. Since then, some nations especially Saudi Arabia have attempted to weaken or reverse that commitment.

Ahead of COP30, supporters of the phase-out designed a forum that would allow all countries to discuss a roadmap without requiring immediate deadlines. 

More than 80 countries joined the initiative and presented it publicly on Tuesday. But opposition from a group known as the “like-minded developing countries”, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran and Bolivia, stalled progress.

The list of countries supporting the roadmap includes Austria, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and others.

Colombia’s environment minister, Irene Vélez Torres, told the Guardian the presidency’s new text was insufficient and that “This Cop’s success cannot be measured by adopting a text at any cost.”

Catherine Abreu of the International Climate Politics Hub said countries wanted an ambitious deal that included adaptation funding, improved finance, action on fossil fuels and deforestation, and a commitment to a just transition. “The question is whether the Brazil presidency will choose to listen to them, with time running out,” she said.

The talks, originally set to end Friday evening, are expected to continue into the weekend because of delays caused by the fire. As negotiations enter their final phase, the dispute over the fossil fuel transition remains the central issue, alongside unresolved debates on climate finance, transparency, trade, and how much support developing countries will receive to manage climate impacts.

(The Guardian UK)

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