A fire disrupted U.N. climate talks in Brazil on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of several buildings with two days remaining, but negotiators have yet to announce a major agreement. Officials said no one was injured.
The fire was reported in an area of the pavilion where sideline events will be held this year during the annual meeting known as COP30. Organizers quickly announced that the fire was under control, but fire officials ordered the entire venue to be evacuated to ensure safety, and it was unclear when the conference would resume operations.
As Viliami Vainga Tone, head of the Tongan delegation, emerged from a high-level ministerial meeting, dozens of people roared past him, shouting about the fires. He was among those chased from the venue by Brazilian and United Nations security forces.
Mr Tone said time was the COP’s most precious resource and it was unfortunate that the fire cut it even further.
“We have to maintain optimism. There’s always tomorrow, even if we don’t have the rest of today. But at least we have a full day tomorrow,” Thone told The Associated Press.
Hours before the fire broke out, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to compromise and “demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to deliver results,” even if it falls short of the strong measures some countries are calling for.
“We are tense and the world’s eyes are on Belém,” Guterres said, urging negotiators to engage in good faith in the final two days of talks, which had already missed a self-imposed deadline on Wednesday to make progress on several key issues. Conferences often extend beyond the scheduled two weeks.
“Frontline communities are also watching closely, counting their flooded homes, crop failures and loss of livelihoods, and asking themselves, ‘How much more do we have to suffer?'” Guterres said. “They have heard enough excuses and are demanding consequences.”
On controversial issues, including a more detailed plan to phase out fossil fuels and expand financial aid to poor countries, Guterres said he was “absolutely confident” that compromise was possible, rejecting the idea that it would be a mistake not to adopt the strongest measures.
Guterres was more forceful about what he wants rich countries to do for poorer countries, especially those that need tens of billions of dollars to adapt to floods, droughts, storms and heat waves caused by worsening climate change. He continued to call for a threefold increase in adaptation financing from $40 billion a year to $120 billion a year.
Officials from countries hit by natural disasters gave emotional testimony earlier this week urging the world to stop talking and take action.
“No delegation leaves Belém with everything it wants, but every delegation has an obligation to reach a balanced agreement,” Guterres said. “Every country needs to do more, especially the big emitters.”
The implementation of overall financial aid, with an agreed target of $300 billion per year, was one of four interrelated issues initially left off the official agenda. The remaining three questions are whether countries should be told to step up new climate change plans. Addressing climate trade barriers. Improving transparency and reporting on climate change.
COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago had given negotiators a deadline of Wednesday for some sort of package on these four issues, but no deal was in sight.
More than 80 countries are calling for detailed “roadmaps” on how to transition away from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, which are the main causes of global warming. This was a general but vague agreement at the COP in Dubai two years ago.
Guterres went on to note that the plan had already been agreed in Dubai, but did not commit to the detailed plan that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promoted in an earlier speech.
Borenstein, Walling and Delgado contributed to The Associated Press.
