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Draft COP30 deal omits fossil fuel transition plans

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Dozens of countries want global plan to move from fossil

fuels

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Saudi Arabia among those to oppose, negotiators say

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Draft calls for tripling climate adaptation finance by

2030

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Summit is scheduled to end later on Friday

By Sudarshan Varadhan, Kate Abnett and William James

BELEM, Brazil, Nov 21 (Reuters) -

The COP30 climate summit was headed for a showdown on Friday

over the future of fossil fuels after hosts Brazil dropped

efforts to develop a global plan to shift away from oil, gas and

coal from its proposed deal.

A draft text for a deal for this year's U.N. climate

summit, released before dawn on Friday, contained no reference

to fossil fuels, dropping entirely a range of options on the

subject that had been included in an earlier version.

The issue has been one of the most contentious at the

two-week conference of nearly 200 governments in Brazil's Amazon

city of Belem.

A group of more than 30 nations sent a letter to the COP30

presidency late on Thursday saying they could not accept a deal

which failed to include a commitment to develop a roadmap to

transition away from fossil fuels.

That has set the stage for a showdown in the final hours of

the conference, which is scheduled to end at 1800 local time

(2100 GMT). Previous COP summits have blown past their deadlines

before eventually reaching a compromise.

"We are disappointed with the text currently on the table,"

EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said in a statement,

adding it lacked ambition on action to cut emissions.

Countries are set to air their thoughts on the draft in a

public plenary session starting around 1300 GMT. The deal text,

which is still subject to further negotiation, would need

approval by consensus in order to be adopted.

ARGUMENTS CENTRE ON FOSSIL FUEL ROADMAP

For days, nations have wrangled over the future of fossil

fuels, whose burning emits greenhouse gases that are by far the

largest contributor to global warming.

Dozens of nations have been pushing hard for a "roadmap" laying

out how countries should follow through with a promise made at

COP28 two years ago to move away from fossil fuels.

Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations are opposing this,

negotiators at COP30 told Reuters. The Saudi government

communications office did not immediately respond to an emailed

request for comment.

A negotiator from one developing country told Reuters its

government did not oppose a fossil fuel phase-out and was open

to negotiating, but was concerned the draft text offered little

to address their concerns on other issues including finance.

"You can't keep saying that things that matter to us are no

longer important and that things that matter to the developed

countries are the only things that are important," the

negotiator said.

The letter from those supporting a roadmap - who include

Colombia, France, Germany, Kenya, the Marshall Islands, Mexico,

the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain and Britain - said the draft

deal, in its current form, "does not meet the minimum conditions

required for a credible COP outcome".

"We cannot support an outcome that does not include a

roadmap for implementing a just, orderly, and equitable

transition away from fossil fuels," the letter said.

CLIMATE FINANCE AND TRADE

The draft called for global efforts to triple the financing

available to help nations adapt to climate change by 2030, from

2025 levels.

However, it did not specify whether this money would be provided

directly by wealthy nations, or other sources including

development banks or the private sector.

That may disappoint poorer nations who want stronger

guarantees that public money will be spent on this area.

Investments in adaptation - such as improving infrastructure to

cope with extreme heat, or reinforcing buildings against

worsening storms - are often vital for saving lives but offers

little financial return, making it difficult for such

investments to attract private finance.

The draft deal would also launch a "dialogue" at upcoming COP

climate summits on trade, involving governments and other actors

including the World Trade Organization.

That would be a win for countries including China who have

long demanded that trade concerns be part of the world's climate

summit. But it may be uncomfortable for the European Union, as

demands for such discussions have often focused on the EU carbon

border levy. South Africa and India have criticized the levy and

argued for it to be scrapped.

(Editing by Katy Daigle, Hugh Lawson and Gareth Jones)