Fire at climate summit breaks up talks, Guterres warns of failure

The COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, was disrupted by a fire that forced the evacuation of participants and the suspension of negotiations just at a critical stage of the negotiations.

Although there were no injuries, time is running out to reach an agreement - the summit is due to end in less than 48 hours. The main sticking points remain the issues of fossil fuel transition and climate finance.

The UN and Brazil are pushing for a compromise, but the draft agreement does not yet include a concrete plan to phase out fossil fuels. A number of countries, including oil producers, oppose such language.

Developing countries' confidence is also undermined by the lack of climate finance to help with adaptation to changing conditions.

The UN warns that failure to reach an agreement will be another missed opportunity for climate efforts.

(reuters, swag)