Summit struggles to reach fossil fuel phaseout agreement – DW – 11/21/2025

The UN climate change conference is set to expand negotiations after representatives from nearly 200 countries failed to agree on a draft agreement proposed by host country Brazil.

The debate is particularly fierce over whether the deal should include a reference to phasing out fossil fuels.

More than 80 countries, including Germany, are pushing for a plan to phase out fossil fuels, which has been strongly opposed by oil producing countries.

Negotiators held closed-door meetings on Friday and worked to bridge differences.

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider told DW that The negotiators were still working hard.

Earlier, COP30 President Andrés Correa do Lago told delegates there, “There cannot be an agenda that divides us.”

“We have to reach an agreement between us.”

Burning fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases, which are the largest contributors to global warming.

Political consensus on establishing a roadmap for climate protection, reducing global emissions and moving away from fossil fuels remains elusive at COP30, which has entered its final day.

Faced with an impasse at the summit in Belém, civil society members were holding a “People’s Plenary” in Brazil to reiterate their demands for the summit, which focused on climate justice and indigenous rights, among other issues.

During the session, youth from around the world highlighted the challenges they face living in countries most vulnerable to climate change.

One speaker, Roa Ahmed Elobeid Dafaallah of Sudan, received a standing ovation when she spoke about losing her home during the civil war in the country and the sexual violence young girls face as a result of the conflict.

Near the COP30 site in Belém, Brazil, degraded agricultural land has been transformed back into a thriving ecosystem.

French start-up MORFO uses drones to plant native seeds, restoring thousands of hectares of Amazon forest.

Carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels is causing climate change.

From renewable energy and green technology to tackling deforestation, what will it take to curb emissions?

Read our full report to learn more about how to reduce CO2 emissions.

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra also reacted to the lack of reference to fossil fuels in the text of the draft agreement revealed on Friday, the final planned day of the summit.

“This is by no means close to the ambition that we need on mitigation,” Hoekstra said.

“We are disappointed by the text currently on the table. We are willing to be ambitious on adaptation, but we would like to make clear that any language on finance must be within the commitments made last year” at COP29 in Azerbaijan.

At the last climate summit, rich countries agreed to provide $300 billion (€260 billion) in annual climate finance.

Colombia has written a letter to the Brazilian President expressing regret over the removal of an ambitious fossil fuel phaseout from the COP30 draft agreement.

The letter was signed by more than 30 countries, including Germany, France, the UK and Australia, which will lead talks at COP31 in Türkiye next year.

“We express deep concern about the current take-it-or-leave-it proposal under consideration,” the letter said.

The announcement continued, “In its current form, the proposal does not meet the minimum conditions necessary for a credible COP outcome.”

“We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap to implement a fair, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.”

“We respectfully and strongly request that the President offer a revised proposal that reflects the majority views and restores balance, ambition, and credibility to the process. We stand ready to work constructively with you toward such an outcome.”

Dealing with climate change can sometimes seem too complex to understand, but there are some key data points that will help you understand the problem better.

For example, this chart shows you how even though emissions in Europe and the US have plateaued, global economies still have a long way to go to decarbonize.

DW has created a collection of this and nine other visuals to help you understand climate change.

As the COP30 climate talks enter their final day, discussions are heating up as negotiators try to reach consensus on a final agreement.

This year’s summit aims to turn past promises into concrete plans.

Germany has called for the agreement to be strengthened, after reference to fossil fuel phasing out disappeared from the draft text of the COP30 agreement.

“We want a clear roadmap to phase out fossil fuels,” German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider told broadcaster RTL/NTV.

Germany joined several other countries in criticizing the latest version of the agreement in a letter to the Brazilian president at the summit.

The letter warned that, “In its current form, the proposal does not meet the minimum conditions necessary for a credible COP outcome.”

“We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap to implement a fair, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels,” the letter says, warning that it would represent “a step backward.”

In the final hours of the UN climate summit in Brazil, negotiators are pushing to bridge divisions on key issues including finance and the transition away from coal, oil and gas.

However, the latest draft text does not mention a roadmap to move away from burning fossil fuels.

Deep divisions have emerged between countries supporting the roadmap and a significant faction, including petro-states such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, that oppose the phasing out.

Fossil fuels are the main driving force behind climate change and are causing increased droughts, floods, storms and deadly heat.

Read DW’s report to find out why fossil fuels were removed from the COP30 roadmap.

Thank you for joining us as we open our live blog on the final day of the COP30 climate conference.

We’ll bring you the latest conversations from DW, as well as analysis and background.