Cop30 climate summit in Brazil disrupted after fire breaks out in venue

"Talks at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil were disrupted on Thursday after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were hunkering down to try to land a deal to strengthen international efforts to address climate change. United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, had appealed earlier in the day for a deal from the summit, welcoming calls from some for clarity on the hotly disputed subject of weaning the world off fossil fuels."

"Officials said the fire broke out in the pavilion area of the conference centre. Delegations holding meetings in their rooms nearby were evacuated and the UN said no one was hurt, as security personnel ordered thousands of delegates in the sprawling building to go outside. Firefighters controlled the blaze, but the entire venue had to be cleared from shortly after 2pm. The Guardian was told it was likely to be several hours at least before any delegates were allowed to return."

"The presidency is preparing a new draft text of the mutirao decision, a central plan of the hoped for outcome of Cop30, and one which until Thursday contained a potential commitment to start drawing up a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels. The presidency was holding a series of crunch meetings with the main negotiating groups. The Aosis group of countries had been down to meet the presidency shortly before 4pm, but that was cancelled."

A fire broke out in the pavilion area of the Cop30 conference centre in Brazil, prompting evacuation of nearby meeting rooms and the ordering of thousands of delegates outside. Firefighters controlled the blaze and the UN reported no injuries, but the venue was cleared from shortly after 2pm and return was expected to be delayed by several hours. The disruption interrupted a sequence of high-stakes meetings as the presidency prepared a new draft of the mutirao decision, which had included a potential commitment to develop a roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Several planned coordination meetings were cancelled or thrown into doubt, raising the likelihood of extending the talks beyond the scheduled closing.

Read at www.theguardian.com