Climate crisis talks look likely to stretch well into the weekend in Brazil, with countries still far apart on the crucial issues of phasing out fossil fuels and cutting carbon.<\/p>\n
The Cop30 president, Andr\u00e9 Corr\u00eaa do Lago, urged ministers and high-ranking officials from more than 190 countries to find common ground<\/a>: \u201cWe need to preserve this regime [of the Paris climate agreement] with the spirit of cooperation, not in the spirit of who is going to win or is willing to lose\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBecause we know if we don\u2019t strengthen this, everyone will lose.\u201d<\/p>\n No agreement looked likely, however, on the core issue of a \u201ctransition away from fossil fuels\u201d<\/a>, with the conference split into two large blocs.<\/p>\n More than 80 developed and developing countries have called for the process of drawing up a roadmap for the transition<\/a> to begin, which would allow all governments to pursue self-chosen measures and timetables towards the eventual goal.<\/p>\n Even this \u2013 derided by some civil society groups as too weak \u2013 was unacceptable to a separate group of more than 80 countries, according to Corr\u00eaa do Lago. This bloc includes Saudi Arabia, Russia and other petrostates, and some countries dependent on using fossil fuels. References to a roadmap were excised from a draft text published early on Friday morning<\/a> at their insistence.<\/p>\n Corr\u00eaa do Lago told the Guardian on Friday: \u201cThis issue has grown in importance<\/a>. But more than 80 countries have said it is a non-starter. My president has said it is a priority.<\/a> But we will see, as many countries have clearly said that they do not want this at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n A fresh draft text was expected late on Friday night or early on Saturday morning in Brazil, but several people involved in the talks said it might have only minor tweaks.<\/p>\n If so, it will bitterly disappoint those calling for stronger language on fossil fuels and the need to limit global temperatures. One developed country said: \u201cThe Brazilians are only listening to the Arab group.\u201d<\/p>\n Brazil convened ministerial discussions among all of the major regional and interest groups at the talks on Friday afternoon, as well as holding meetings with individual countries after a morning plenary meeting with all countries was inconclusive.<\/p>\n The European commissioner for climate, Wopke Hoekstra, said the deal on offer was so inadequate that countries may leave with no agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is now on the table is unacceptable,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd given that we\u2019re so far away from where we should be, it\u2019s unfortunate to say, but we\u2019re really facing a no-deal scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n Bas Eickhout, a member of the European parliament\u2019s delegation to Cop30<\/a>, said: \u201cWith this text as it stands, no deal is better than a bad deal. Failure to reach an agreement on a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels would not only be a big win for petrostates, but also for Trump and his hard-right allies.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one can seriously expect us to win the fight on the climate crisis if we don\u2019t deal with the elephant in the room: phasing out fossil fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n In a sign of the slow pace of progress, Colombia and the Netherlands announced they would hold a separate but complementary conference on the transition away from fossil fuels for high-ambition countries next year.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cWe have taken this step because, simply, we cannot wait any longer,\u201d said Tuvalu\u2019s environment minister, Maina Talia. \u201cThe Pacific came to Cop30 demanding a survival roadmap away from fossil fuels. Yet this text does not even name the threat to our existence. This process is failing us so we will not wait.\u201d<\/p>\n The climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, Tina Stege, said: \u201cAs a nation that is just two metres above sea level we know that climate action cannot wait. This roadmap is inevitable, it\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n The Guardian understands from various countries\u2019 delegates that China is not among the countries blocking a roadmap, while India has taken a harder line by insisting developed countries bear responsibility for past greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n A few developing countries with fossil fuel interests, including Nigeria and Sierra Leone, have backed a potential roadmap.<\/p>\n Also at stake is the question of how countries respond to the fact that current national climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions, would lead to about 2.5C of heating above preindustrial levels, far above the 1.5C limit target set by the Paris agreement.<\/p>\n