Fire disrupts COP30 climate talks as UN chief urges deal
Talks at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil were thrown into disarray on Thursday (November 20) when a fire inside the venue forced thousands of delegates to evacuate, interrupting tense, last-minute efforts to secure a deal aimed at boosting global climate action.
Earlier in the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had urged governments to clinch an agreement in Belém, praising calls from several delegations for clearer commitments on phasing the world away from fossil fuels – an issue that has dominated the negotiations.
With less than a day remaining before the summit’s scheduled close, Brazil, the host nation, has been pressing almost 200 participating countries to reach consensus. Officials have framed a successful deal as essential for turning years of climate promises into tangible action.
But just after midday, security cameras captured flames erupting inside one of the exhibition halls. The fire spread rapidly along the fabric lining the pavilion before it was swiftly brought under control. Organisers said 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation. Local firefighters later indicated that a piece of electrical equipment, possibly a microwave, was likely to blame, adding that the blaze was extinguished within minutes.
Security teams moved quickly to clear the building, forming a human cordon to guide delegates out.
Negotiations paused, deadlines slipping
A source told Reuters that formal talks were unlikely to resume before Friday morning, although informal consultations between the COP presidency and country blocs might continue overnight, depending on safety checks.
The summit had already missed its own Wednesday deadline to finalise agreements on key issues, including how to mobilise more climate finance and accelerate the move away from fossil fuels.
On Thursday, Brazil circulated a draft section of the COP30 deal to selected governments. The document, reviewed by Reuters, did not outline a pathway for transitioning away from fossil fuels – despite strong calls from many countries for such a plan. It did propose tripling global adaptation finance by 2030 compared with 2025 levels, but offered no detail on who would provide the funds, leaving open whether wealthy nations, development banks or private investors would shoulder the cost.
Brazil’s COP30 presidency did not immediately comment on the draft. Some negotiators said they had been reviewing the text shortly before the fire forced them out of the venue, while others reported they had not received it at all. It is not unusual at COP meetings for the host country to negotiate wording with small groups before presenting it to the full plenary.
Fossil fuels divide delegates
The talks have been increasingly bogged down by two thorny issues: fossil fuel policy and climate finance. These have exposed deep divides between industrialised nations, major oil-exporting states and climate-vulnerable countries.
Dozens of governments – both developed and developing – have rallied behind Brazil’s push for a clear timetable for countries to move away from fossil fuels. But several producers continue to resist such language.
At COP28 last year, countries agreed in principle to transition away from fossil fuels, but left unanswered the crucial questions of how and when the shift should occur.
“I am fully convinced a compromise can be found,” Guterres said.
Adaptation funding disputes
Another major sticking point concerns financial support for poorer nations to help them adapt to rising temperatures, sea-level rise and extreme weather. According to multiple sources, some wealthier governments are hesitant to commit to new obligations.
Developing countries remain wary of the US$300 billion finance pledge made at COP29 in Baku, particularly as the United States retreats from global climate efforts under President Donald Trump. Previous Reuters investigations have shown that some existing climate funding has even ended up flowing back into wealthy countries through questionable projects.
“Right now, our communities are losing lives and livelihoods to storms of unprecedented ferocity driven by warmer seas,” said Steven Victor, Palau’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment. “If we walk out of Belém without a transformative outcome on adaptation for the world’s most vulnerable, this process will have failed.”
European representatives maintain that adaptation support is essential but say they lack the mandate to endorse new financial targets.
