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While dawn was breaking the Amazonian city of Belém on Saturday morning, negotiators remained confined in a enclosed conference room, uncertain whether it was day or night. For more than 12 hours in difficult discussions, with dozens ministers representing 17 groups of countries ranging from the most vulnerable nations to the wealthiest economies.

Tempers were short, the air heavy as exhausted delegates faced up to the sobering reality: they were unlikely to achieve a comprehensive agreement in Brazil. The latest global climate summit faced the brink of abject failure.

The central impasse: Fossil fuels

Scientific evidence has shown for well over a century, the CO2 emissions produced by utilizing fossil fuels is warming our planet to critical levels.

However, during over three decades of regular climate meetings, the essential necessity to halt fossil fuel use has been addressed only once – in a resolution made two years ago at previous UN climate talks to "move beyond fossil fuels". Representatives from the Middle Eastern nations, Russia, and multiple other countries were adamant this would not happen again.

Growing momentum for change

Meanwhile, a expanding group of countries were similarly resolved that advancement on this issue was vitally needed. They had created a proposal that was earning growing support and made it clear they were prepared to hold firm.

Less wealthy nations desperately wanted to advance on securing financial assistance to help them cope with the growing impacts of climate disasters.

Critical moment

During the night of Saturday, some delegates were willing to leave and trigger failure. "It was on the edge for us," commented one national delegate. "I was prepared to walk away."

The breakthrough came through negotiations with Saudi Arabia. Near 6am, key negotiators left the main group to hold a closed-door meeting with the head Saudi negotiator. They encouraged language that would subtly reference the global commitment to "transition away from fossil fuels" made two years earlier in Dubai.

Unanticipated resolution

Rather than explicitly referencing fossil fuels, the text would refer to "the Dubai agreement". After consideration, the Saudi delegation surprisingly agreed to the wording.

Participants collapsed into relief. Applause rang out. The agreement was finalized.

With what became known as the "Brazil agreement", the world took an incremental move towards the gradual elimination of fossil fuels – a faltering, insufficient step that will minimally impact the climate's ongoing trajectory towards crisis. But nevertheless a significant departure from total inaction.

Major components of the agreement

• Alongside the indirect reference in the official document, countries will begin work a roadmap to systematically reduce fossil fuels
• This will be mostly a voluntary initiative led by Brazil that will provide updates next year
• Addressing the required reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to remain below the 1.5C limit was also put off to next year
• Developing countries obtained a tripling to $120bn of yearly funding to help them adapt to the impacts of environmental crises
• This funding will not be completely provided until 2035
• Workers will benefit from a "fair adjustment program" to help people working in fossil fuel sectors transition to the sustainable sector

Mixed reactions

As the world hovers near the brink of climate "irreversible changes" that could destroy ecosystems and force whole regions into chaos, the agreement was far from the "major breakthrough" needed.

"Negotiators delivered some modest progress in the right direction, but given the scale of the climate crisis, it has fallen short of the occasion," stated one policy director.

This flawed deal might have been the maximum achievable, given the political challenges – including a Washington administration who ignored the talks and remains aligned with oil and coal, the increasing presence of nationalist politics, ongoing conflicts in different locations, intolerable levels of inequality, and global economic uncertainty.

"Major polluters – the energy conglomerates – were at last in the crosshairs at the climate summit," says one environmental advocate. "There is no turning back on that. The platform is open. Now we must transform it into a actual pathway to a protected environment."

Major disagreements revealed

While nations were able to celebrate the official adoption of the deal, Cop30 also revealed major disagreements in the only global process for tackling the climate crisis.

"Climate conferences are agreement-dependent, and in a period of global disagreements, consensus is increasingly difficult to reach," observed one international diplomat. "We should not suggest that this summit has achieved complete success that is needed. The gap between our current position and what research requires remains alarmingly large."

When the world is to avoid the most severe impacts of climate crisis, the global discussions alone will fall far short.