Ministers formally took over the UN climate negotiations in Brazil on Monday as COP30 entered its decisive final stretch, with countries deeply divided over key issues — including the European Union’s contentious carbon tax on imports.
Arriving in the Amazonian host city of Belém, ministers launched the second week of talks with speeches, as delegates wrangled over weak climate commitments, inadequate financial pledges, and mounting trade tensions.
At the center of the dispute is a flagship EU policy often described as a “carbon tax” on imports. “Pricing carbon is something we need to pursue with as many partners as possible, as quickly as possible,” said EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.
China, India, and several allied nations are pressing for a COP30 decision opposing unilateral trade barriers — a clear criticism of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which targets imports of carbon-intensive products such as steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen. Tested since 2023, the system is due to become fully operational in 2026.
Li Gao, head of China’s COP30 delegation, warned last week that countries should “avoid the negative impact of geopolitical unilateralism or protectionism.” EU and Chinese officials were expected to meet later Monday to discuss the issue, which has dominated conversations in sweltering Belém.
“We’re not going to be drawn into the claim that CBAM is a unilateral trade measure,” Hoekstra insisted at a press conference. “We’re not going to discuss it in that context.”
‘Cannot afford to waste time’
COP30 is scheduled to conclude on Friday, though UN climate summits routinely stretch past deadlines as negotiators struggle to reach consensus on how to accelerate global climate action.
“There is a huge amount of work ahead for ministers and negotiators. I urge you to get to the hardest issues fast,” UN climate chief Simon Stiell cautioned. “We cannot afford tactical delays or stonewalling.”
Island nations — backed by Latin American countries and the EU — are also pushing for a strong response to fresh projections showing that the world is on track to miss the 1.5°C warming limit. But major emerging economies, including China and Saudi Arabia, have pushed back against any language that suggests they are not doing enough.
“For Small Island Developing States, 1.5°C is not a political slogan. It is a non-negotiable survival threshold,” said Palau’s environment minister, Steven Victor, who chairs the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). He voiced frustration over the lack of progress since COP28 in Dubai, where nations pledged to transition away from fossil fuels.
Brazil, the host, wants COP30 to send an ambitious signal on phasing out fossil fuels — though whether this will take the form of a UN decision requiring consensus or a separate declaration by willing countries remains uncertain. Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin urged ministers to agree on “integrated action plans” for the transition.
Money remains the sticking point
Financing once again looms large. Last year’s summit in Baku ended with developed nations agreeing to mobilize $300 billion annually in climate finance — a figure widely criticized as insufficient. Developing countries, particularly in Africa, want COP30 to call out wealthy nations for failing to deliver adequate support for adaptation and emissions cuts.
On Sunday evening, the Brazilian COP30 presidency released a memo summarizing the divergent positions and outlining possible paths forward.
“This is the Brazilian presidency setting the table for the endgame,” said Li Shuo of the Asia Society Policy Institute, noting that ministers must now “strike a delicate balance” across the competing priorities.
