Brazil tries to avoid climate bust up at COP30 summit

by AFP Staff Writers
Belem, Brazil (AFP) Nov 12, 2025
COP30 hosts Brazil will seek to land a compromise on Wednesday as some nations seek to put ambitious climate action and financial obligations on the summit agenda -- flashpoints that have stalled past negotiations.

The United Nations summit narrowly avoided a so-called "agenda fight" at its Monday opening in Belem only because Brazil promised to hear these demands informally and broker an amenable solution.

Four divisive issues are being considered: trade, transparency and reporting measures, climate finance obligations, and efforts to slash heat-trapping pollution.

The latter two are the most sensitive, with rich countries unenthusiastic about reopening bitter fights over financial aid, and oil-producing giants against any focus on the role of fossil fuels in climate change.

Brazil is expected to reveal Wednesday whether it has been successful in finding a middle ground when it wraps up two days of backroom consultations in Belem.

The rotating hosts of these annual Conference of the Parties do not have decision-making power, but still play a crucial role in forging compromise.

Any decision at the COP summits must be reached by consensus among the 197 countries and the European Union that are members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

One close observer of the consultations told AFP that a few countries were "still not on board" but the dialogue had been "clearly constructive."

There is a growing sense that Brazil could be warming to the idea of a "cover decision" -- an overarching text, delivered at the COP's close, that provides space for articulating a compromised stance.

One diplomat attending Belem's closed-door discussions expects a "slightly more innovative" format where the specific proposals in question are considered on their own.

- Flashpoints -

The most incendiary of the four comes from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which wants countries attending Belem to acknowledge their collective failure to keep global warming to safer levels.

Scientists say a temporary breach of 1.5 Celsius -- the lower limit of the Paris Climate Agreement's goal on global temperature rise -- is inevitable because nations have not cut planet-heating emissions fast enough to meet this target.

Other country blocs -- including the European Union and Latin American states -- support the push by AOSIS, whose members are some of the most threatened by rising seas.

Brazil's presidency had "finally found the courage to tackle this issue head-on," the diplomat told AFP.

This has agitated the Arab Group -- a collection of 22 nations including major petrostates -- which has criticised Brazil for opening this discussion, observers say.

The other major bone of contention is the provision by richer nations of financial support to help poorer ones cope with climate change.

The third issue concerns "unilateral" trade measures -- notably Europe's carbon border tax, which is fiercely opposed by China and India.

A fourth relates to an EU demand for greater transparency around how countries report key climate data.

Indigenous protesters clash with security at COP30 summit in Brazil
Belem, Brazil (AFP) Nov 12, 2025 - Dozens of Indigenous protesters clashed with security guards Tuesday at the COP30 summit in Brazil, causing minor injuries in a rare incident of violence at the UN climate talks.

In the evening, Indigenous demonstrators and their supporters breached security barriers at the main entrance to the conference hall in Belem and scuffled with security officers there.

The incident caused "minor injuries to two security staff, and minor damage to the venue," a spokesperson for United Nations Climate Change told AFP.

"Brazilian and UN security personnel took protective actions to secure the venue, following all established security protocols," the spokesperson said.

Calm was quickly restored and security staff used tables and chairs to barricade the entrance to the high-level "blue zone" at the heart of the conference venue.

An AFP journalist saw a police officer being evacuated in a wheelchair.

Security inside the COP30 venue falls under the responsibility of the UN, while local authorities take charge of the surrounding area.

UN police officers were asking those still inside the COP30 venue to evacuate the vast site of giant air-conditioned tents.

"The Indigenous movement wanted to present its demands inside the blue zone but were not allowed in," said Joao Santiago, a professor at the Federal University of Para.

- 'Voices ignored' -

Maria Clara, a protester with the Rede Sustentabilidade Bahia association, told AFP she wanted to draw attention to the plight of Indigenous peoples.

"These voices are ignored," she said.

"They entered the COP30 venue to protest the fact that the COP will end but the destruction continues."

The March for Health and Climate, the organizers behind the protest, sought to distance themselves from the incident.

"The march, which concluded before the COP30 venue, was a legitimate, peaceful, and organized expression of popular mobilisation, built through dialogue, responsibility, and collective commitment," the group said in a statement.

The UN spokesperson said "the venue is fully secured, and COP negotiations continue." Brazilian and UN authorities were investigating the incident, the spokesperson added.

Last week, Brazil's Minister for Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, said the UN summit would be "the best COP in terms of Indigenous participation."