UN climate negotiations do not succeed in obtaining new commitments regarding fossil fuels.

After intense debates, the UN climate conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil concluded with an agreement that makes no explicit mention of the fossil fuels responsible for global warming.

This marks a disappointing outcome for over 80 nations including the UK and EU, which aimed for the summit to commit globally to a faster phase-out of oil, coal, and gas usage.

In contrast, fossil fuel-producing nations maintained their stance that they should retain the right to utilize their fossil fuel assets for economic development.

The gathering occurred as the UN expressed concerns that worldwide attempts to cap the temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels are not being met.

A spokesperson for Colombia vehemently criticized the COP presidency for preventing countries from voicing their objections to the agreement during the last session on Saturday, referred to as a plenary.

“Colombia holds that we possess enough scientific proof indicating that over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions arise from fossil fuels,” Daniela Durán González, Colombian Climate Delegate, informed BBC News.

“Thus, we feel it’s high time for the Convention on Climate Change to start addressing this reality,” she further stated.

The concluding agreement, titled the Mutirão, urges nations to “voluntarily” expedite their initiatives to decrease their fossil fuel consumption.

For the first instance, the US refrained from sending a delegation following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the significant Paris agreement committing nations to combat climate change in 2015, which he has labeled as “a con”.

Longtime negotiator and former Germany climate envoy Jennifer Morgan conveyed to the BBC that the US’s absence was a “gap” in the discussions. Historically, the US has collaborated with groupings like the EU and UK.

“In a 12-hour negotiation overnight, when oil-producing countries are strongly resisting, lacking someone to counteract was certainly challenging,” she remarked.

However, many nations found solace in the fact that the talks did not fall apart or revert on earlier climate commitments.

Antigua and Barbuda Climate Ambassador Ruleta Thomas stated: “We are pleased that there is an ongoing process […] where every nation can express its voice.”

During the final session, a representative from Saudi Arabia asserted: “Every state must be permitted to forge its own trajectory, according to its unique conditions and economies.”

Like numerous other major oil-producing countries, the nation has contended that it should have the capability to exploit its fossil fuel reserves just as others have historically done.

The two-week discussions were at times tumultuous. Sanitation facilities ran dry, severe thunderstorms inundated the venue, and delegates had difficulties managing in hot, humid conditions.

The COP’s approximately 50,000 enrolled delegates were evacuated on two occasions. A band of around 150 demonstrators infiltrated the venue, surpassing security barriers, displaying signs proclaiming “our forests are not for sale”.

On Thursday, a significant blaze erupted, burning a hole in the roof and compelling attendees to scurry outdoors.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva selected the city of Belém to draw the globe’s focus to the Amazon rainforest and to inject financial resources into the city.

Despite its aspiration for a more robust fossil fuel pact, Brazil faced criticism for its own intentions to drill for oil at the Amazon’s mouth.

According to evaluations provided to the BBC by the campaign organization Global Witness, its offshore oil and gas output is predicted to rise until the early 2030s.

Nations participating in the conference possess varying interests, influenced by their unique situations and levels of vulnerability to climate change impacts. Some countries expressed satisfaction with the results.

India commended the agreement, labeling it “significant”. An assembly representing 39 small island and low-lying coastal nations on Saturday deemed it “flawed” yet still a movement towards “advancement”.

Less affluent nations walked away with a commitment for increased climate funding to assist them in adapting to climate change effects.

“It has shifted the balance. There is a clearer understanding that those with a historic responsibility [countries that emitted more greenhouse gases previously] have particular obligations regarding climate finance,” declared Jiwoh Abdulai, Sierra Leone’s Minister of The Environment and Climate Change.

Nonetheless, it’s a disappointing result for over 80 nations, who negotiated tirelessly through the night to retain stronger fossil fuel clauses in the agreement.

UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband asserted that the conference represents a “progression”.

“I would have favored a more ambitious accord,” he noted.

“We will not conceal that we would have preferred to see more, to have greater ambition in every aspect,” EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra mentioned to reporters.

Amid the lush greenery, avian sounds, and extreme humidity, the Amazon backdrop of the discussions was unmistakable.

Brazil initiated the discussions with a new initiative called the Tropical Forests Forever Facility aimed at incentivizing countries to safeguard tropical forests. By the conclusion of the gathering, it had secured at least $6.5bn from nations, although the UK has yet to contribute.

More than 90 nations backed a proposal for a comprehensive deforestation action plan, or “roadmap”.

Additional reporting by Tom Ingham, BBC climate team