The US backs away from the COP30 agreement, exposing the fragile unity of climate as a result.

Andre Correa do Lago, COP30 president, reminded the delegates of the costs of failure in the final hours of the U.N. Climate Summit in Brazil.

It was the first climate conference held since Donald Trump's administration in the U.S. abandoned international cooperation to combat global warming. This made it vital for the countries to reach an agreement that demonstrated unity.

He told the delegates that those who do not believe that cooperation is the most effective way to deal with climate change will be delighted that we are unable to reach an agreement. "So, it is important that we reach an agreement."

Representatives from almost 200 countries reached a final agreement. But the deal's content and the messy process leading to its adoption reveal as much about world divisions as it does the resolve of nations to fight climate change together.

The final agreement approved language which would triple the amount of money available to poorer countries in order to help them adapt to the increasing impacts of global warming. However, it did not mention the fossil fuels responsible for this. Observers characterized it as anything from a victory to a bad joke.

The two-week journey to the final agreement was filled with human drama, including extreme fatigue, frustration, and obstinacy: indigenous protesters charged conference gates. Saudi Arabia threatened to collapse the deal if the oil industry of its country was targeted. Panama called the discussions a circus. And the closing ceremony had to be suspended for one hour while the host Brazil worked to resolve objections.

Correa do lago wept when the final gavel was pushed through on Saturday afternoon.

This is a joke, not a win

The United States' absence loomed large over the discussions. The United States, the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide and largest economy, declined to send an official delegation after Trump declared global climate change a hoax.

Wopke hoekstra, the EU's climate chief, acknowledged that it was difficult to forge a consensus without Washington being at the table. In previous administrations, Washington has worked with the EU on a global clean energy initiative that could slow down the warming of the planet.

He told reporters that a player of such magnitude would be a major blow to the event if they did not attend.

The EU fought hard to clarify the transition of the world away from fossil fuels, but ultimately gave in to Saudi Arabia's demands that it be kept out. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who had been welcomed warmly at the White House, was the driving force behind the demand.

Three sources familiar with closed-door negotiations say that a representative from Riyadh warned delegates during the final hours of the negotiations that any language that targeted its oil industry could lead to a collapse of the global consensus.

Saudi Arabia has declined to comment on the matter.

This result, coupled with the limited efforts to preserve forests, has made a number of countries unhappy.

"A Forest COP without any commitments on forests is an extremely bad joke. Climate decision which cannot mention fossil fuels, is complicity. "What is happening here goes beyond incompetence," said Panamanian COP negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey.

These frustrations were expressed in the final session of the plenary, when Latin American countries led a series objections, which forced the suspension of closing ceremony by over an hour, a full day after its scheduled conclusion.

CLIMATE COOPERATION WILL BE TESTED

The agreement met a major demand from developing nations, namely, a tripled amount of funds for climate adaptation, to help the countries deal with the increasing impacts of global warming, including rising seas and heat waves.

Some people were happy to hear the news.

"We were able to reach a successful agreement." Ilana Seid is the chair of Alliance of Small Island States. She said, "I think this is a victory for AOSIS."

She said that the Paris Agreement is a big win for the multilateralists and a chance to uphold our goals, which we hold dear. The 2015 agreement was to limit global warming to 1.5C over pre-industrial levels.

Al Gore, former U.S. vice president, framed the result as "the minimum -- the minimum that the world should do -- and not the ceiling which limits what's possible."

He said that, while oil producing states blocked language about phasing-out fossil fuels, Brazil will lead the effort to develop a roadmap for this, supported by more than eighty countries.

Gore stated that "petrostates, fossil fuel industries, and their allies will lose power in the end." They may be able veto the diplomatic language but not real-world actions.

In the months to come, the endurance of international climate co-operation will be put to the test as Brazil takes the lead in drafting the roadmap for the phase out of fossil fuels and mobilizing the promised financing for developing nations.

Aleksandar Rankovic was blunt. He said that the way the Belem discussions closed was like the whole summit, opaque, procedurally ambiguous, largely empty but dressed up as a pinnacle for multilateralism. Richard Valdmanis wrote the article; Katy Daigle, Bill Berkrot and Bill Daigle edited it.

(source: Reuters)