Boos, blow-ups and a last-minute pause as chaotic COP30 closes out

Jabs about greedy children, boos for the Vatican and a suspension of proceedings lasting more than an hour: the COP30 finale unfolded with the same chaotic energy that defined the summit, exposing the rifts that came close to derailing a deal.

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Mr Andre Correa do Lago, the dapper Brazilian diplomat who presided over the two-week affair in Belem, opened the final plenary hours late after nations worked through the night to find a text they could all live with.

Bleary-eyed delegates took their seats, eager to see the marathon talks finally come to an end.

The summit in this rough-around-the-edges Amazonian city had already been interrupted twice by Indigenous protesters last week — once when they broke in, another time when they blocked delegates from entering — before a fierce blaze on Nov 20 triggered a panicked evacuation.

A round of cheers broke out when Mr Correa do Lago brought down his gavel and announced the adoption of the “mutirao” text - a Portuguese word of Indigenous origin meaning “collective action” that was also the summit’s slogan.