Final spurt of the climate conference after fire on site

World Climate Conference

Final spurt of the climate conference after fire on site

A fire breaks out at the climate conference in Belém on Thursday. The negotiations are interrupted for several hours. Actually, the summit is about to end.

Negotiations are set to continue today after a fire broke out on the grounds of the World Climate Conference in Brazil. “There is still much work ahead of us and we hope that all Parties will join this work in a spirit of solidarity and determination to achieve a successful outcome of the conference,” the United Nations said on the eve of the meeting.

The summit is actually scheduled to end in the evening (6 p.m. local time; 10 p.m. CET). In recent years, however, the meetings have almost always been extended. The negotiations are currently in a critical phase.

The focus is particularly on the question of whether the global community – without the USA – can agree on developing a plan to phase out the climate-damaging combustion of coal, oil and gas. Germany, the EU and dozens of other countries are insisting on progress, but other countries are blocking it. A unanimous decision is necessary.

A fire broke out in part of the extensive site early on Thursday afternoon (local time). On a BBC video of the incident, a reporter from the station could be seen in front of a blazing stand in the area of ​​the country pavilions, the flames shooting through the ceiling of the tent. DPA reporters saw smoke rising above the tent roofs. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.

All participants had to leave the tent city where the two-week conference with tens of thousands of delegates is taking place. After being closed for several hours, the temporarily evacuated area was reopened to all delegates later in the evening.

Due to the fire, the negotiating states lost several hours – which makes an extension of the summit seem even more likely.

Organizers said a total of 21 people received medical attention as a result of the fire – 19 for smoke inhalation and two people for anxiety. Her condition is being monitored. There was “limited damage,” it said. The fire was brought under control within about six minutes. The area affected by the incident will remain cordoned off until the end of the conference.

According to the German delegation, the negotiations should continue as normal from this morning. On Thursday evening (local time), the Brazilian presidency of the conference resumed consultations with the country groups. In the final phase of climate conferences, discussions often last late into the night.

The fire was not the first unexpected incident at this year’s World Climate Conference. In the first week, indigenous activists broke through barriers and stormed the site one evening. A few days later, indigenous groups blocked the main entrance until the Brazilian conference host came outside and spoke to them.