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While dawn illuminated the Amazonian city of Belém on Saturday morning, representatives remained confined in a windowless conference room, oblivious whether it was day or night. For more than 12 hours in difficult discussions, with numerous ministers representing various coalitions of countries from the most vulnerable nations to the richest economies.

Patience wore thin, the air heavy as weary delegates faced up to the sobering reality: they were unlikely to achieve a comprehensive agreement in Brazil. The 30th UN climate conference hovered near the brink of complete breakdown.

The major obstacle: Fossil fuels

As science has told us for well over a century, the CO2 emissions produced by burning fossil fuels is increasing temperatures on our planet to critical levels.

Nevertheless, during nearly three decades of yearly climate meetings, the crucial requirement to stop fossil fuel use has been referenced only once – in a agreement made two years ago at previous UN climate talks to "shift from fossil fuels". Representatives from the Arab Group, Russia, and several other countries were determined this would not occur another time.

Mounting support for change

Meanwhile, a increasing coalition of countries were similarly resolved that progress on this issue was urgently necessary. They had developed a plan that was earning expanding support and made it apparent they were ready to dig in.

Less wealthy nations desperately wanted to make progress on securing funding support to help them address the increasingly severe impacts of environmental crises.

Breaking point

In the pre-dawn period of Saturday, some delegates were willing to walk out and trigger failure. "The situation was precarious for us," remarked one energy minister. "I was ready to walk away."

The pivotal moment came through negotiations with Saudi Arabia. Near 6am, key negotiators separated from the main group to hold a closed-door meeting with the lead Saudi negotiator. They pressed wording that would indirectly acknowledge 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 previous commitment". Following reflection, the Saudi delegation unforeseeably accepted the wording.

Delegates showed visible relief. Celebrations began. The settlement was done.

With what became known as the "Belém political package", the world took an incremental move towards the systematic reduction of fossil fuels – a faltering, limited step that will barely interrupt the climate's ongoing trajectory towards crisis. But nevertheless a important shift from absolute paralysis.

Major components of the agreement

• In addition to the oblique commitment in the official document, countries will commence creating a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels
• This will be mostly a optional undertaking led by Brazil that will provide updates next year
• Addressing the required reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to stay within the 1.5C limit was also put off to next year
• Developing countries obtained a significant expansion to $120bn of annual finance to help them cope with the impacts of climate disasters
• This funding will not be delivered in full until 2035
• Workers will benefit from a "just transition mechanism" to help people working in high-carbon industries move toward the clean economy

Varied responses

As the world hovers near the brink of climate "tipping points" that could eliminate habitats and plunge whole regions into disorder, the agreement was not the "significant advancement" needed.

"The summit provided some baby steps in the proper course, but given the severity of the climate crisis, it has fallen short of the occasion," cautioned one environmental analyst.

This limited deal might have been the maximum achievable, given the geopolitical headwinds – including a US president who avoided the talks and remains wedded to oil and coal, the rising tide of rightwing populism, ongoing conflicts in multiple regions, intolerable levels of inequality, and global economic uncertainty.

"Fossil fuel corporations – the energy conglomerates – were finally in the focus at the climate summit," says one policy convener. "This represents progress on that. The platform is accessible. Now we must convert it to a real fire escape to a protected environment."

Major disagreements revealed

Even as nations were able to applaud the gavelling through of the deal, Cop30 also exposed significant divisions in the only global process for addressing the climate crisis.

"International summits are agreement-dependent, and in a time of international tensions, agreement is ever harder to reach," observed one senior UN official. "It would be dishonest to claim that this summit has provided all that is needed. The gap between our current position and what evidence necessitates remains dangerously wide."

If the world is to avoid the gravest consequences of climate breakdown, the global discussions alone will not be nearly enough.