By Sudarshan Varadhan, Kate Abnett and William James BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -The host of the COP30 conference in Brazil urged countries to unite for a deal to strengthen international climate efforts on Friday,

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.

The symbolism was undeniable when fire erupted at the COP30 climate talks just as negotiators considered phasing out fossil fuels.

It’s the last official day of COP30. But in classic COP fashion, negotiations look set to go into overtime, especially after a fire broke out in the venue on Thursday, disrupting proceedings.

A fire broke out on Thursday at a pavilion inside the convention hall in Belém, where more than 50,000 diplomats, journalists and activists have gathered for a global climate summit. It is not yet known what caused the fire or whether any injuries occurred.

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.

A huge fire has erupted at the Cop30 venue, prompting evacuations and halting the UN climate talks being held in Brazil. The blaze spread through pavilions being used for the conference in Belem on Thursday,

Switzerland is rallying support for a new international effort to boost carbon-credit trading under an emerging United Nations-backed mechanism, a move that would channel more funds to developing countries as traditional climate aid wanes.

The planet’s biggest climate conference has kicked off with representatives from more than 190 countries descending on the Brazilian city of Belém. Here’s what to expect

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.

Social media users concerned about climate change are claiming that amid COP30 in Belém, Brazil's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA) manipulated data about deforestation in the Amazon by classifying it under a new term: "degradation.

What was once considered a climate holy grail comes with serious tradeoffs. The world wants more of it anyway.