3 h. ago Cop30 live: summit president says ‘everybody will lose’ as fears rise that conference will end without a deal

André Corrêa do Lago issues plea to preserve Paris agreement with countries far from reaching agreement on scheduled final dayAn informal stocktake plenary is now underway [see live feed at the top of the blog]. Here the presidency will update parties on the state of the negotiations.My colleague Damian Carrington will be keeping across the main developments. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Cop30 live: summit president warns ‘everybody will lose’ if countries fail to cooperate

André Corrêa do Lago issues plea to preserve Paris agreement with countries far from reaching agreement on scheduled final dayAn informal stocktake plenary is now underway [see live feed at the top of the blog]. Here the presidency will update parties on the state of the negotiations.My colleague Damian Carrington will be keeping across the main developments. Continue reading...

Events

24 h. ago Cop30 conference centre evacuated as fire breaks out – as it happened

UN secretary-general António Guterres earlier used speech at Belem summit to urge countries to find compromises in final hours of negotiationsInside the halls of Cop30 you see people from all around the world, and it can be easy to forget that there are many people who remain unrepresented.On Thursday morning, Magne Tony was standing with compatriots from French Guiana outside the entrance to the conference centre, trying to push pieces of paper into the hands of arriving delegates and observers headed: “Our Amazon is dying”.The main problem is that France are in 9,000 kilometres from Amazonia, from South America, and they’re taking decisions. [But] they don’t really know what is the problem really. They’re taking the decisions from their own mind and the problem is that they’re far from reality.That’s why we decided to alert the people in the world about [our] problems: water coming up, getting enough to eat, more heat – in some parts of French Guiana, people don’t have water.These...

Events

26 h. ago US in talks to attend G20 summit after initial boycott, South Africa says

Cyril Ramaphosa says US has had ‘change of mind’ but does not confirm Trump’s attendance in JohannesburgThe US has changed its mind about attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa’s president has said, without confirming whether Donald Trump, who had said the US would boycott the event, now wanted to come.Trump has claimed that South Africa racially discriminates against the minority white Afrikaner community, which led the country during the apartheid regime that ended in 1994. Continue reading...

Politics

28 h. ago Cop30 live: current climate pathway ‘a death sentence for many’, says UN secretary

António Guterres uses speech at Belem summit to urge countries to find compromises in final hours of negotiationsInside the halls of Cop30 you see people from all around the world, and it can be easy to forget that there are many people who remain unrepresented.On Thursday morning, Magne Tony was standing with compatriots from French Guiana outside the entrance to the conference centre, trying to push pieces of paper into the hands of arriving delegates and observers headed: “Our Amazon is dying”.The main problem is that France are in 9,000 kilometres from Amazonia, from South America, and they’re taking decisions. [But] they don’t really know what is the problem really. They’re taking the decisions from their own mind and the problem is that they’re far from reality.That’s why we decided to alert the people in the world about [our] problems: water coming up, getting enough to eat, more heat – in some parts of French Guiana, people don’t have water.These crises, a consequence of Wes...

Society

32 h. ago Cop30 live: ‘We need to think about how to live without fossil fuels’ Brazilian president Lula tells summit

Brazilian president underlines need to reduce emissions as Turkey set to host next year’s summitOne big piece of news out of Belém last night was that Turkey will host Cop31 next year, with Australia leading the actual negotiations, under a deal to end an unprecedented stand-off between prospective host countries.The unusual arrangement, which was being negotiated overnight and is expected to be officially announced today, would see the event take place in Antalya, a 2000-year-old Mediterranean city that has become the country’s tourism capital. Turkey would manage the event while Australia would preside over the diplomatic wrangling to stop the planet from heating and keep people safe from the breakdown of a stable climate. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago Divide over fossil fuels phaseout can be bridged, Cop30 president says

Exclusive: André Corrêa do Lago says rise of clean energy must be acknowledged and rich countries need to do moreCop30 live – latest updatesCop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of climate talks in BrazilOil-producing countries need to acknowledge the rise of clean energy, and rich countries will have to provide more assurances on finance if the chasm between negotiating nations at Cop30 is to be bridged, the president of the summit has said.André Corrêa do Lago, the veteran Brazilian climate diplomat in charge of the talks, said: “Developing countries are looking at developed countries as countries that could be much more generous in supporting them to be more sustainable. They could offer more finance, and technology.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Cop30 live: Confusion over next summit as Australian PM says they would not block Turkey as host

Who will host next year’s Cop? The tussle between Australia and Turkey continues, with comments from the Australian PM adding to the lack of clarityWe should not fear the forces of denial and delay, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has warned, because “they are losing this fight”.Speaking to delegates at Cop30, the Labour politician acknowledged the existence of climate deniers and delayers across the world – including in the UK – and described them as “well funded, well organised, and determined”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Cop30 live: Ministers from global north and south unite in call for a roadmap away from fossil fuels

Representatives from Germany, the UK, the Marshall Islands and a number of other countries came together to issue a call for a fossil fuel roadmapWe should not fear the forces of denial and delay, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has warned, because “they are losing this fight”.Speaking to delegates at Cop30, the Labour politician acknowledged the existence of climate deniers and delayers across the world – including in the UK – and described them as “well funded, well organised, and determined”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Cop30 live: first draft text revives shift away from fossil fuels

So-called “mutirão decision” text provides first look at potential outcomes of UN climate summit – but don’t call it a cover text, say BraziliansWe should not fear the forces of denial and delay, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has warned, because “they are losing this fight”.Speaking to delegates at Cop30, the Labour politician acknowledged the existence of climate deniers and delayers across the world – including in the UK – and described them as “well funded, well organised, and determined”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Cop30: calls for new urgency to talks as studies show global warming may reach 2.5C – latest updates

As the summit goes into its second week, complex issues with anxiety growing over conference outcomesA spectacular demonstration by tens of thousands of climate, nature and land activists in Belém this weekend has set the stage for the second week of COP30 negotiations, when organisers hope the energy from the streets can be channeled into the conference halls.Monday and Tuesday mark the transition to the political phase of the negotiations, when ministers fly in to grapple with the issues that were too thorny for their bureaucrats to handle. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Indigenous lands must be recognised as part of climate policy, says Brazilian minister

Sonia Guajajara tells Cop30 the rights of traditional communities must be maintained in the face of exploitation by the mining industryCountries must recognise the demarcation of Indigenous lands as a key component of tackling the climate crisis, and civil society must help in the defence of such lands against mining interests, Brazil’s minister for Indigenous peoples has said.Sonia Guajajara, a longtime Indigenous activist before being appointed a minister by President Lula da Silva, said: “[Among the goals of the Cop30 summit is] a request that countries recognise the demarcation of Indigenous lands as climate policy.” Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Cop30 live: ‘If we continue destroying everything on this earth there will be chaos,’ warns Indigenous chief

Earlier on day five of the climate summit, activists blockaded the main entrance demanding to speak to the Brazilian presidentNorway and the United Arab Emirates - both significant fossil fuel producers - are among the ministerial pairings announced by the Brazilian Cop30 Presidency. The task of the pairings is to consult with countries on specific issues and report their views back to the presidency, to help the negotiations progress.The ministers from Norway and the UAE will work on the “global stocktake”, the strand of the talks about the big gap between the carbon emissions cuts needed and the real world. At its heart is cutting fossil fuel emissions, which makes it a target for obstruction by petrostates. The UAE hosted Cop28 in 2023, which delivered the first ever mention of fossil fuels in a Cop outcome.Gambia and Germany, working on adaptationEgypt and Spain, working on mitigation, i.e. cutting emissionsMexico and Poland, working on just transition, i.e. making the switch to...

Events

7 d. ago Cop day 5 live: Indigenous activists blockade the summit centre as climate conference continues

As the climate conference goes into its fifth day, with huge amounts still unresolved, there were reports that activists had blockaded the entrance to the centreNorway and the United Arab Emirates - both significant fossil fuel producers - are among the ministerial pairings announced by the Brazilian Cop30 Presidency. The task of the pairings is to consult with countries on specific issues and report their views back to the presidency, to help the negotiations progress.The ministers from Norway and the UAE will work on the “global stocktake”, the strand of the talks about the big gap between the carbon emissions cuts needed and the real world. At its heart is cutting fossil fuel emissions, which makes it a target for obstruction by petrostates. The UAE hosted Cop28 in 2023, which delivered the first ever mention of fossil fuels in a Cop outcome.Gambia and Germany, working on adaptationEgypt and Spain, working on mitigation, i.e. cutting emissionsMexico and Poland, working on just tr...

Politics

8 d. ago Despite America’s absence, Trump’s influence looms large over Cop30

In this week’s newsletter: Fear of retribution from the unpredictable president has left climate summit negotiators feeling nervous and vulnerable• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereUnder Donald Trump, America has not only jettisoned any effort to deal with the climate crisis, but has also attempted to stymie moves by other nations to shift to cleaner forms of energy, such as solar and wind.The climate crisis is “the greatest con job perpetrated by the world”, Trump told the UN in September, urging other governments to stick to oil and gas (preferably drilled in the US, of course) and ditch the “scam” of renewable energy.World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report findsFossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn peopleChina’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis findsCalifornia governor calls Trump ‘an invasive species’ at Cop30 climate talksTussles break out between protesters an...

Politics

9 d. ago Cop30 live: ‘literally insane’ that we are letting global heating happen, says Al Gore

Former US vice-president also critical of Donald Trump and Bill Gates as negotiations begin in earnestHello comrades, this is Nina Lakhani in chilly New York City taking over the blog for the next few hours. Thanks very much to my colleague Matt Taylor in London Town who will be back in the hot seat on Friday morning.Leading climate activists and influencers have signed a letter criticising PR firm Edelman over its role at the Cop30 summit in Brazil. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago Scouting For Girls star moved family to America weeks before wildfires struck

Scouting For Girls frontman Roy Stride has recalled how he feared he'd lose everything to the California wildfires just weeks after relocating his family to America

Events

1 week ago Von der Leyen dodged Starmer request for meeting on EU money demands

European Commission president had ‘scheduling’ issues at COP30 summit in Brazil and did not meet the UK premier

Politics

1 week ago Trump says US will boycott G20 summit in South Africa, citing treatment of white farmers

Administration has long accused South Africa of allowing white Afrikaner farmers to be persecuted and attackedDonald Trump said Friday that no US government officials would be attending the Group of 20 summit this year in South Africa, citing the country’s treatment of white farmers.The US president had already announced he would not attend the annual summit for heads of state from the globe’s leading and emerging economies. JD Vance had been scheduled to attend in Trump’s place, but a person familiar with Vance’s plans who was granted anonymity to talk about his schedule said Vance would no longer travel there for the summit. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Awkward moment Prince William and Sir Keir Starmer appear to fumble handshake alongside Brazil's president at green summit

As the Prince and Prime Minister emerged on to the stage alongside Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, they fumbled with their positions as they decided who would stand in the middle.

Politics