COP30: Consensus on key issues eludes negotiators

Uncertainty gripped COP30 on Thursday as negotiators struggled to reach consensus on key climate issues, raising the prospect that the summit could conclude without a traditional cover text for the first time in the gathering's history.

- Jayashree Nandi

“Has there been a COP without cover text? Who knows if this will be the one?” asked a developing country negotiator. The COP30 presidency had made clear earlier it would not push for a cover text unless parties drove the process, though negotiators said there may still be a show of multilateralism befitting the summit’s spirit.

Three major disputes have divided developing and developed country blocs: a nationally determined roadmap on fossil fuel phaseout; Article 9.1, a legal obligation requiring developed countries to provide financial resources to developing nations for climate mitigation and adaptation; and a way to address the disproportionate impacts of unilateral trade measures on developing countries.

The Like Minded Developing Countries, which includes India and China, will not accept prescriptive text on developing a fossil fuel phaseout roadmap, whilst the EU and other wealthy nations will not accept further talks on Article 9.1.

“Every country has a right to grow,” said a member of India’s delegation. “National circumstances and common but differentiated responsibilities are the cornerstones of the Paris Agreement. Those have to be followed.”