Belem: Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met the Indian delegation led by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav at the UN COP30 Climate Summit and discussed crucial issues that negotiators are intensely discussing to hammer out a final roadmap.
According to sources privy to the discussion, the two sides mainly discussed Wednesday a possible roadmap on fossil fuel, a topic that the President is pushing hard during the ongoing COP30.
Lula and Yadav met in the afternoon and discussed some important issues. They primarily talked about the fossil fuel issue and explored if a roadmap can be brought in this summit itself, a source on the Brazilian side told PTI here.
The closed-door meeting lasted for about 20 minutes, and senior officials from both sides were present during the talks. India’s Lead Negotiator at COP30, Amandeep Garg, was also present at the meeting.
An official on the Indian side said, They met for about 15-20 minutes and discussed many issues.
He, however, did not disclose what the two leaders discussed in the meeting, but indicated that they discussed the possible roadmap on fossil fuels.
It is learnt that Lula met with members of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) and discussed issues related to fossil fuels.
Already, more than 80 countries have lent their voices in calling for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels. Although the fossil fuel roadmap is not on the formal agenda of the COP30 Climate Summit here, it is being talked about by major parties after the Brazilian President spoke about it in his opening statement.
UN COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago said in a press conference November 15 that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) may come out with a new document on fossil fuels by October 2026, which is likely to present a roadmap for transition into a cleaner mode of transportation.
He had also said that there is a lack of in-depth data regarding fossil fuels, and more information on the subject is needed before coming out with anything concrete.
Presently, there is no concrete global fossil fuel phase-out roadmap, but only some mix of partial plans. The biggest one in direction so far is the COP28 deal, where countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. However, it did not give any clear deadlines or binding rules.
Earlier, during his opening address of the COP30 summit here November 10, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell had urged negotiators in Belem to focus on how to deliver on what the world has already agreed, a transition away from fossil fuels, a just and inclusive economic transformation and stronger action on adaptation and technology.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also arrived at the COP30 venue on Wednesday morning along with President Lula.
Lula met with negotiators for the European Union, emerging nations in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, and hard-hit small island nations and African countries.
The arrival of Lula and Guterres is hugely significant as the parties have been in intense discussions since Tuesday after the draft of the Belem Political Package was released by the COP30 President.
Earlier during the day, Yadav also met with his Brazilian counterpart Marina Silva at the venue of the COP30 Summit here.
Our discussions involved developments in the ongoing COP and critical agenda items around it. India has joined the Brazil-led Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) as an observer at the Leaders’ Summit ahead of COP30 in Belem, the Indian minister said in a post on X.
Yadav, in his speech at the high-level segment November 17, had said India’s non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity, currently around 256 gigawatts, accounts for more than half of its total electric installed capacity, which was an NDC target achieved five years ahead of schedule.
In February this year, India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep S Puri had said that all fossil fuel production companies would achieve net zero by 2045, even though the country has developmental challenges.
Negotiators from more than 190 countries have gathered here for the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The COP30 summit is taking place in the Brazilian city of Belem in the Amazon region from November 10 to 21.
