Brazil Climate summit of blockades: What was decided in Belém
Powerful blockers were in top form and the USA, one of the biggest climate sinners, was not even present: groundbreaking progress in the fight against global warming was not made at the world climate conference in Brazil despite turbulent two weeks of negotiations.
23.11.2025, 08:23
SDA
Environmental organizations and activists criticized the resolutions as inadequate and unacceptable. The German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) was also "a little disappointed" and accused the oil states of blockade tactics.
At times, under pressure from large protests and broad alliances of countries - including Germany and the EU - it seemed possible to tackle a plan for phasing out the climate-damaging burning of coal, oil and gas. However, even the agreement to draw up such a plan over the next few years - UN conferences struggle over such incremental steps - failed.
What was agreed - and what was not
Instead of the path to a phase-out plan that had been hotly debated for days, all that was agreed was a voluntary initiative to accelerate the climate protection efforts of the states. At the climate conference in Dubai two years ago, around 200 countries had already decided to move away from these fossil fuels - unlike hoped for in Belém, it was not specified when and how this should happen.
Under President Donald Trump, the USA withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement and stayed away from Belém. In the past, it was an important donor in the fight against climate change.
Nevertheless, rich countries are to significantly increase their climate aid to poorer countries to help them adapt to the consequences of global warming: There is talk of a threefold increase by 2035. However, no base year for this and no specific amount is mentioned. The sum is likely to be well below the 120 billion US dollars per year that developing countries have been vehemently calling for. Sabine Minninger from Bread for the World criticized that the German government had also been one of the "obstructionists" on this point.
Brazil has launched a new fund to protect the rainforest, for which Germany is providing one billion euros over ten years. Countries that preserve their forests are to be rewarded under this new model. Conversely, they are to pay a penalty for every hectare of forest destroyed.
However, the conference did not adopt a concrete "forest action plan" to curb the destruction of forests. It merely recalled an earlier resolution to halt deforestation by 2030.
A "conference of truth" - only different than expected
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that many were probably disappointed, especially young people, indigenous peoples and all those suffering from the consequences of climate change. "To all those who have demonstrated, negotiated, consulted, reported and mobilized: Don't give up! History is on your side!", encouraged Guterres.
Brazil had promised a "conference of truth" and hoped for great success. Instead, the truth about the world community's lack of determination in combating the crisis has now come to light. The conference was not characterized by groundbreaking resolutions, criticized Ottmar Edenhofer, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. "The states are promising too little and even these promises are not being kept."
On the other hand, parallel to the climate summit at the other end of the world in South Africa, the G20 countries - albeit with a smaller number of participants - pledged to step up the fight against climate change. They are responsible for the mammoth share of global emissions.
Who blocked progress
Environment Minister Schneider said that the oil states had prevented more ambitious resolutions with a "blockade". There is no mention of fossil fuels in the central final document, nor are oil, coal and gas explicitly mentioned - except in the term "greenhouse gases".
The German head of Greenpeace, Martin Kaiser, spoke of a failure. "Oil companies and exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia prevented the conference from adopting an accelerated phase-out of oil, gas and coal." The USA had also exerted pressure on small countries beforehand and thus contributed to the failure from afar.
Where countries regularly get stuck in negotiations
While many industrialized countries are demanding progress in the fight against global warming, poorer countries are calling for more money to adapt to it. Each side demands concessions as a prerequisite for progress.
Poorer countries and emerging economies point to the responsibility of industrialized countries as the main cause of the current global warming. They fear that too much speed in climate protection will impair their chances of economic development. Oil-producing countries, on the other hand, want to safeguard their business model. "Despite the dramatic escalation of the climate crisis, a small group of large countries are prepared to do anything to prolong the fossil fuel business model," summarized Christoph Bals, the political director of Germanwatch.
Even 20 hours after the planned end, the exhausted opponents were still engaged in passionate verbal battles in the final plenary session and attempted to incorporate their content into the resolution texts at the last minute with motions. A representative of Russia accused the Latin American states of grabbing sweets like children - an unusually undiplomatic accusation, which they indignantly rejected.
What made the climate conference in Brazil special
The megacity of Belém on the edge of the rainforest had many an unusual surprise in store for the guests from all over the world: On several occasions, the hall-sized tents could not withstand the almost daily tropical downpours and it dripped into the corridors of the conference. In the final spurt, a fire even broke out there and paralyzed the summit for hours. Indigenous activists besieged the conference grounds several times in the fight for more say and land rights.
Unlike at previous conferences in authoritarian states such as Azerbaijan or Egypt, there was a lot of protest outside. The highlight was a multi-day "People's Summit" on the university grounds and a huge, colorful march of tens of thousands for more climate protection.
It remains to be seen whether there will be similarly visible protests by civil society next year. The climate conference will then take place in the Turkish seaside resort of Antalya, with a special role for Australia. Turkey is to "host and chair" the next climate conference, while Australia will "chair the negotiations", explained State Secretary for the Environment Jochen Flasbarth.
What climate change means for people and nature
Burning oil, gas and coal produces the most climate-damaging greenhouse gases, which are causing the planet to heat up more and more. The ten warmest years since records began were the last ten.
Scientists now assume that the maximum global warming of 1.5 degrees targeted in the Paris Climate Agreement compared to pre-industrial times will be exceeded for at least a limited period of time, and by the early 2030s at the latest. The drastic consequences would be more and more severe storms, forest fires, droughts and floods.
