By Kate Abnett, Lisandra Paraguassu, William James and Sudarshan Varadhan BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -The outcome of Brazil's COP30 climate summit was left hanging in the balance, with the European Union refusing to accept a draft deal it said would fail to advance global efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.

As leaders meet in Belém, see what Iran, one of the world’s top ten carbon emitters, said about its plans to tackle climate change at COP30.

Ed Miliband, UK secretary of state for energy security and net zero, said he was “optimistic” that a United Nations climate deal was in reach that would strengthen ambition in the fight against global warming and lead to more concrete plans to transition away from fossil fuels.

More than 300 industrial agriculture lobbyists attended this year’s COP30 event in Brazil, according to a new investigation

The conference is being led by COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil’s vice minister for climate, energy and environment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among those scheduled to attend are government leaders and ministers, diplomats, U.N. representatives, scientists, business leaders and non-governmental organizations across the globe.

The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth sponsored a cohort of six College students and three master’s students from the Harris School of Public Policy and Booth School of Business. The group was accompanied by Institute staff as part of the annual delegation to the event.

Officials say a fire that spread through pavilions being used for U.N. climate talks in Brazil has prompted evacuations on the next-to-last day of the conference. The U.N. says 13 people were