India, Nov. 21 -- Uncertainty gripped COP30 on Thursday as negotiators struggled to reach consensus on key climate issues, raising the prospect that the summit could conclude without a traditional cover text for the first time in the gathering's history.

"Has there been a COP without cover text? Who knows if this will be the one?" asked a developing country negotiator. The COP30 presidency had made clear earlier it would not push for a cover text unless parties drove the process, though negotiators said there may still be a show of multilateralism befitting the summit's spirit.

Three major disputes have divided developing and developed country blocs: a nationally determined roadmap on fossil fuel phaseout; Article 9.1, a legal obligatio...