COP30 draft climate cover text skips mention of fossil fuel use

With the fires at the venue doused, new flashpoints emerged early on Friday (November 21, 2025) — officially, the last day of the climate talks in Brazil’s Belem — after a draft text skipped mention of fossil fuels.

The Conference of Parties (COP) proceedings usually conclude with a ‘cover text’ or a consensus political statement issued by the COP Presidency, in this case led by Brazilian diplomat Andrei Lago, which lays out the united resolution by Parties (countries signatory to Paris Agreement) to take action on climate change.

A flashpoint was emerging over the past 10 days with developing countries, including some petro-states, insistent on not including language that commits countries to a timeline on eliminating fossil fuel from their economies.

Developed countries have insisted that specifying such a path is critical to keep the planet from overheating beyond 1.5°C by the century-end, and that the finance necessary for adapting to climate change and transitioning away from fossil fuel use must mobilise money from private and public sources.

“This is in no way close to the ambition we need on mitigation. We are disappointed with 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 should squarely be within the commitment reached last year on the NCQG,” Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, said in a statement.

A plenary session discussing the latest cover text is expected later on Friday (November 21, 2025) prior to which nearly 80 countries, pitching for the language on fossil fuel, are expected in various permutations to voice dissatisfaction with the text. This session is an occasion for countries to publicly voice their support to, or disappointment with, the Presidency.

“At COP30, the Global South is not asking for favours, it is asking for the basic foundations needed to deliver a fair and effective global climate response. Climate action must be underpinned by equity, fair rules and reliable support,“ Arunabha Ghosh, Director General, Council on Energy Environment and Water said.

“The proposed high-level ministerial roundtable to reflect on the implementation of the NCQG is a welcome step… While the new dialogues on trade mark a progress, they should ensure that developing economies are protected from climate-linked trade barriers,” he added.