'Major polluters face mounting pressure': UN climate summit escapes utter breakdown with eleventh-hour deal.

As dawn was breaking the Amazonian city of Belém on Saturday morning, delegates remained trapped in a enclosed conference room, uncertain whether it was day or night. For more than 12 hours in tense discussions, with dozens ministers representing various coalitions of countries including the poorest nations to the wealthiest economies.

Tempers were short, the air thick as weary delegates confronted the grim reality: they would not reach a comprehensive agreement in Brazil. The latest global climate summit faced the brink of total collapse.

The sticking point: Fossil fuels

As science has told us for more than a century, the carbon dioxide produced by utilizing fossil fuels is increasing temperatures on our planet to alarming levels.

However, during over three decades of regular climate meetings, the urgent need to stop fossil fuel use has been referenced only once – in a resolution made two years ago at the Dubai climate summit to "transition away from fossil fuels". Officials from the Gulf states, Russia, and a few other countries were adamant this would not happen again.

Mounting support for change

At the same time, a growing number of countries were equally determined that advancement on this issue was urgently necessary. They had created a initiative that was gathering growing support and made it apparent they were ready to stand their ground.

Less wealthy nations strongly sought to make progress on securing financial assistance to help them address the increasingly severe impacts of extreme weather.

Critical moment

In the pre-dawn period of Saturday, some delegates were willing to walk out and cause breakdown. "The situation was precarious for us," remarked one national delegate. "I was ready to walk away."

The critical development occurred through discussions with Saudi Arabia. Around 6am, principal delegates separated from the main group to hold a confidential discussion with the chief Saudi negotiator. They encouraged text that would subtly reference the global commitment to "shift from fossil fuels" made two years earlier in Dubai.

Unanticipated resolution

As opposed to explicitly namechecking fossil fuels, the text would refer to "the UAE consensus". Following reflection, the Saudi delegation unforeseeably approved the wording.

Participants showed visible relief. Celebrations began. The agreement was done.

With what became known as the "Belém political package", the world took an incremental move towards the phaseout of fossil fuels – a faltering, limited step that will barely interrupt the climate's steady march towards disaster. But nevertheless a significant departure from total inaction.

Major components of the agreement

• Complementing the indirect reference in the formal agreement, countries will commence creating a framework to systematically reduce fossil fuels
• This will be mostly a non-binding program led by Brazil that will provide updates next year
• Addressing the necessary cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to remain below the 1.5C limit was likewise deferred to next year
• Developing countries achieved a threefold increase to $120bn of regular financial support to help them adapt to the impacts of extreme weather
• This sum will not be completely provided until 2035
• Workers will benefit from a "just transition mechanism" to help people working in fossil fuel sectors move toward the renewable industry

Mixed reactions

With global conditions approaches the brink of climate "irreversible changes" that could eliminate habitats and plunge whole regions into crisis, the agreement was far from the "major breakthrough" needed.

"Negotiators delivered some small advances in the correct path, but given the scale of the climate crisis, it has not met the occasion," warned one policy director.

This limited deal might have been all that was possible, given the political challenges – including a US president who avoided the talks and remains aligned with oil and coal, the increasing presence of nationalist politics, persistent fighting in various areas, unacceptable degrees of inequality, and global economic uncertainty.

"Fossil fuel corporations – the energy conglomerates – were at last in the crosshairs at these negotiations," says one climate activist. "There is no turning back on that. The political space is available. Now we must convert it to a real fire escape to a more secure planet."

Significant divisions revealed

While nations were able to celebrate the formal approval of the deal, Cop30 also highlighted significant divisions in the only global process for addressing the climate crisis.

"International summits are unanimity-required, and in a period of global disagreements, agreement is progressively challenging to reach," observed one senior UN official. "I cannot pretend that these talks has achieved complete success that is needed. The disparity between where we are and what evidence necessitates remains concerningly substantial."

If the world is to avoid the gravest consequences of climate breakdown, the UN climate talks alone will prove insufficient.