COP30 negotiations are entering their final stretch as the UN cautions delegates against any attempts at obstruction

The UN’s top climate official on Monday urged ministers to avoid any “stonewalling” and accelerate negotiations at the COP30 summit in Brazil, as countries remain split on major issues with just five days left.

Ministers have begun arriving in Belem to take charge of the second week of talks, where delegations remain at odds over weak emissions pledges, inadequate climate finance, and disputes over trade measures.

Although COP30 is scheduled to conclude on Friday, the UN’s annual climate conferences often run past the deadline as negotiators struggle to bridge differences on how to confront global warming.

“There is an enormous amount of work ahead for ministers and negotiators,” UN climate chief Simon Stiell told delegates. “I urge you to tackle the toughest issues immediately.”
He warned that when critical questions are pushed into overtime, “everyone loses,” adding that the talks cannot afford “tactical delays or stonewalling.”

After a week of discussions, three major sticking points have emerged.

China, India and their allies are pressing for a COP30 decision opposing unilateral trade measures — a swipe at the EU’s “carbon border tax” on carbon-intensive imports such as steel, aluminium and fertilizers.

Island nations facing rising sea levels, supported by Latin American countries and the EU, insist that COP30 must respond to new projections showing the world is on track to miss the 1.5°C target, and therefore must strengthen climate commitments.

However, major emerging economies — including China and Saudi Arabia — oppose any text implying they are falling short in their climate efforts.

A third dispute centres on developing countries, particularly in Africa, seeking to highlight the failure of rich nations to deliver adequate climate finance for adaptation and emissions cuts.

The Brazilian COP30 presidency released a memo on Sunday outlining these conflicting positions and offering a range of — at times contradictory — options.

“This is the Brazilian presidency setting the stage for the endgame,” said Li Shuo of the Asia Society Policy Institute, adding that ministers now face the challenge of striking a “very delicate balance” between the three core issues.