Negotiations ran late last night, and as delegates begin to leave the outcome of the summit remains unclear
The US – by its absence not presence – has had a major impact on what appears likely to be a disappointing deal at the Cop30 climate summit. This is because the US is the only country with the power to influence Saudi Arabia, observers say.
The oil-rich kingdom has a decades-long history of obstructing the climate talks to protect its lucrative industry and has been widely blamed here in Belém for leading efforts to block any mention of fossil fuels. With Donald Trump calling climate change a “con job”, the US did not send a delegation to Cop30 and is withdrawing from the Paris agreement. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a friendly meeting with Trump on Tuesday.
Quorum is key: as cruise ships leave, many delegates have nowhere to stay tonight and will be heading out. Pacific delegates and many UN staffers are among those impacted. Brazil faces a race against time. Lula faces the prospect of explaining to G20 leaders why a summit he hoped would propel him to election victory in 2026 has ended in abject failure, with little to no support from his Brics allies and Saudi Arabia, which tried to kill efforts to talk cuts on Friday.
