Seoul Gazette - Brazil's Lula hunts for deal at Amazon climate summit

Lula flew into the Amazonian city to bring the weight of the presidency to the talks, in a rare late-stage visit by a head of state or government at the annual gathering.

COP30 host Brazil released a draft pact on Tuesday and pushed negotiators to work through the night, hoping to get nations to agree on the most disputed points as soon as Wednesday -- two days before the conference is scheduled to end.

Lula, who has invested political capital into making what he dubbed the "COP of truth" a success, shuttled between rooms to meet with ministers of various negotiating groups.

"His willingness to make time in his busy schedule to give new momentum to the COP is tremendously important," EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said in a statement after meeting with Lula.

But as the day progressed, a deal had yet to materialize.

The disagreements center on the impact of trade measures, language on transitioning away from fossil fuels, and demands for developed countries to provide more climate finance to poorer nations.

French ecological transition minister Monique Barbut knocked back Brazilian hopes of securing a deal as soon as Wednesday.

"No, there will not be a COP decision today. I don't see how that could happen," Barbut told AFP.

"However, yes, there is a little bit of movement. But we are still far from the mark because for us, it must be a comprehensive package," Barbut said after a coordination meeting with European colleagues.

She added, however, that she was "more optimistic" than she was the day before.

- No more money -

The draft underscores the gulf between a broad coalition of more than 80 countries pushing for a "roadmap" on phasing out fossil fuels and an opposing bloc led by oil-producing countries.

"Whether we're going to call it the roadmap or we're going to use a different wording, I think is secondary. But once again, we very much like the idea," Hoekstra said at a news conference.

Further complicating matters, there are visible cracks on the Brazilians' front.

The idea of a roadmap, pushed by Lula himself, was never taken up by the summit's president -- led by diplomats who are seen by observers as close to business circles, and under pressure from nations that do not want it brought up.

Negotiators are also at loggerheads over pressure from the developing world for developed countries to provide more finance to help vulnerable nations adapt to climate change and deploy renewable energy.

The COP29 summit in Baku last year concluded with developed nations agreeing to provide $300 billion a year in climate finance, a figure criticized by developing countries as woefully insufficient.

The EU, where many countries are facing economic headwinds and soaring debt, has led opposition to demands for more money.

"We're not looking at any increases in adaptation finance," Irish climate minister Darragh O'Brien said.

The EU is also fighting any attempt to have language against its tax on imports of carbon-intensive goods such as steel, aluminum, cement and fertilizers.

China has called for the removal of what it calls "trade barriers."

"There should be at least a mention (of trade measures), because they become a disabler instead of an enabler. So, I think they will be mentioned in some way," Mexican environment minister Alicia Barcena told AFP.

A new text is expected to be published on Wednesday.

COP30 is due to end on Friday, but climate summits regularly run into overtime.

In a sign that Brazil wants to stay on schedule, delegates sleeping on two cruise ships serving as floating hotels have been told to vacate their cabins on Saturday morning.

M.Joo--SG