Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wanted the talks to secure clearer steps for how countries would move away from coal, oil and gas.
“The world needs a clear roadmap to end its dependence on fossil fuels,” he said ahead of the talks.
It would advance a deal made two years ago, at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, where countries agreed on the need to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems”.
The idea of a “roadmap” had been backed by dozens of countries, including the UK, but strongly opposed by oil-producing nations.
Some of these countries argue they should be allowed to exploit their fossil fuel reserves as others have done in the past.
And they have often called for the focus to be on reducing emissions, rather than fossil fuels themselves, through technology like carbon capture.
Many scientists have criticised that approach for failing to tackle the problem at source.
Some developing countries have not backed the fossil fuel deal, because they want richer nations to first deliver money to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change. Richer nations have historically underdelivered on those promises.
Poorer countries have repeatedly called for greater support, arguing they are facing the worst impacts of climate change despite bearing relatively little responsibility for rising temperatures.
The latest version of the agreement, released on Friday morning, had not a single mention of fossil fuels, which was viewed as unacceptable by many nations.
On Friday, UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband said he was determined to keep the plan for a roadmap away from fossil fuels “alive” in “one way or another”.