The final plenary of the 30th United Nations Climate Conference, or COP30 in Belém, Brazil, almost fell apart on Saturday — a day after the official conference was set to end. The conference’s president, André Corrêa do Lago, had already formally approved several important elements of the negotiations when representatives of Colombia spoke up with an objection.
"Colombia wants to move forward,” said negotiator Daniela Durán González, “but you are leaving us with no other option.” She said the country could not accept the agreement unless language about a fossil fuel phaseout was included in the text.
In a process only decided by consensus, negotiators scurried to find a solution, with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and Brazilian COP30 presidency trying to figure out whether they could legally “un-gavel” issues; and Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and another negotiator from Brazil in a huddle trying to find a mutual way forward.