The cold shower — thought impossible given the progress of the first week of work at Cop30 in Belém — arrived in the night between Thursday 20 and Friday 21 November. That is, at the moment when the 30th United Nations World Climate Conference reached its final stages.

A massive step backwards compared to previous versions

The Brazilian presidency published a new draft of the most eagerly awaited document: the one on the mutirão, the long-awaited collective mobilisation that is supposed to give substance to the overly vague expression agreed upon at the end of Cop28 in Dubai. Namely, the now-famous transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The draft published overnight does not even mention the word "fossil" any longer. A surrender, at least on the surface (hope remains that it could be a strategic move, perhaps aimed at reshuffling the cards). And above all, a massive step backwards from the ambition that could be felt in previous versions — enough to provoke the outraged reaction of some thirty nations from around the world.

The letter from thirty countries to the Cop30 presidency

Countries such as France, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium immediately wrote a letter to the Brazilian presidency. "We must be honest: in its current form, the proposal does not present the minimum conditions for a credible outcome at this Cop30. We cannot support a text that does not include a roadmap for a just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels", the document reads.

A clear and particularly firm stance (for once, pointing in the right direction). To skip over entirely the issue that had been placed at the centre of proceedings by Brazilian President Lula himself at the opening of Cop30 means, after all, repudiating even what had been achieved — with immense effort and less-than-extraordinary results — at previous Cops.

The Belém conference — the first held on the doorstep of the Amazon, the one on which many had pinned genuine hopes — risks turning into a bitter disappointment. And from the corridors of the Cop, there are already those who, while remaining anonymous, are naming those responsible: China, India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Russia.

This article was originally published on Valori.it