A change in tone within the talks, marked by finger-pointing, raising points of order, and debates over negotiation modalities, is “increasingly aggravating the discussions and jeopardizing progress.” This is according to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) analysis of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) that has recently concluded in Belém, Brazil.

“This attitude is driven by a much broader emphasis on national sovereignty, domestic red lines, and apprehension about perceived imposition of top down or ‘one-size-fits-all’ approaches,” ENB notes. Other factors adding to these tensions include the temporary overshoot in 2024 of the 1.5°C warming threshold set by the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the collective ambition of the third round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which remains insufficient to meet the objectives of the Agreement.

Before the beginning of the Conference, there were concerns about the possibility of “agenda fights” delaying the start. Various groups and countries had proposed a total of eight items for inclusion on the already busy negotiations agenda, ENB reports. However, the Brazilian Presidency managed to successfully launch substantive negotiations with the understanding that it would hold consultations on:

• Implementing developed countries’ finance obligations under Paris Agreement Article 9.1;
• Unilateral trade-restrictive measures; and
• Responding to the latest NDCs and biennial transparency reports (BTRs) to address the 1.5°C ambition and implementation gaps.

According to the ENB summary of the meeting, these consultations eventually led to the adoption of the “Mutirão” decision, which – despite many parties’ strong preferences – does not contain provisions relating to fossil fuel phaseout, or to halting and reversing deforestation.

The closing plenary of the Conference of the Parties (COP), which convened a day after its scheduled end despite the Presidency’s efforts to wrap up proceedings ahead of time, saw “significant turmoil, with various groups and Parties interrupting the adoption of decisions to raise points of order, voice objections, and make comments on various negotiation issues,” ENB writes. Colombia said fossil fuels are by far the largest driver of climate change and emphasized that the “COP of truth cannot support an outcome that ignores science.” Several parties denounced the gaveling of the decision on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) through raised flags signaling their points of order, as they felt the indicators included in the final text erased “two years of technical work conducted with expert input.”

The plenary was suspended and later resumed, with President André Corrêa do Lago stating his regrets that he had not been made aware of the points of order. He further noted the Secretariat’s confirmation that the decisions were adopted, suggested that work on these issues continue at the 2026 June meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies, and invited the Secretariat to prepare best practices to ensure the predictability and legitimacy of the process.

The adoption of other decisions went more smoothly, with participants applauding the new Gender Action Plan and the decision to develop a just transition mechanism. In addition, parties, inter alia:

• Operationalized the Technology Implementation Programme;
• Launched new work on finance flow alignment (Paris Agreement Article 2.1(c));
• Updated the type of information to consider in ex ante climate finance reporting (Paris Agreement Article 9.5);
• Concluded the review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on loss and damage; and
• Agreed on activities aimed to support developing countries’ reporting.

Following a long stalemate, the COP accepted Türkiye’s offer to host COP 31 in Antalya, welcoming an arrangement between Türkiye and Australia to share the COP 31 Presidency, with Australia designated the “President of negotiations.” The COP also accepted Ethiopia’s offer to host COP 32 in 2027. This will be the first time the governing bodies meet in a least developed country (LDC).

Responding to the lack of consensus on addressing fossil fuels and deforestation in the Mutirão decision, the Presidency also announced it will develop roadmaps on the transition away from fossil fuels in a just and equitable manner and on halting and reversing deforestation, with outcomes to be reported at COP 31.

The 2025 UN Climate Change Conference convened from 10-22 November in Belém, Brazil. It consisted of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 30) to the UNFCCC, the 20th meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 20), the seventh meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 7), and the 63rd sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 63) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 63).

More than 56,000 people were registered for on-site attendance and over 5,000 were registered to participate online. [ENB Coverage of 2025 UN Climate Change Conference]