Belém, Brazil — The agenda crunch is on this week at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, but many are growing increasingly confused by the different letters and initiative names coming out of the presidency. On Friday night, COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago received a question about the trajectory of the fossil fuel phase-out road map and answered with information about the Baku to Belém road map. “I was so happy to be answering that question,” he joked as he realized his response was a little off topic.
We now also have a plan for a Murtirão decision — referring to the Brazilian word for collective action. This seems to refer to a cover decision that seeks to resolve some of the contentious items moved to the side at the start of the decisions. The presidency also pitched a Belém political package, which appears to encompass the cover decision as well as the mainstream agenda items, such as the just transition and adaptation. If you’re dizzy from these terms, don’t worry, so are we.
Experts told Devex that they are “seeing a clear shift in the negotiations now.” They say talks are accelerating with the COP30 secretariat staff working through the night and the presidency pushing for an agreement “on as many issues as possible” by Wednesday, Barbara Rosen Jacobson, senior advocacy adviser at Mercy Corps, told Devex.
About the authors
Jesse Chase-Lubitz
Jesse Chase-Lubitz covers climate change and multilateral development banks for Devex. She previously worked at Nature Magazine, where she received a Pulitzer grant for an investigation into land reclamation. She has written for outlets such as Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and The Japan Times, among others. Jesse holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics.
Ayenat Mersie
Ayenat Mersie is a Global Development Reporter for Devex. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist for publications such as National Geographic and Foreign Policy and as an East Africa correspondent for Reuters.
