Global leaders are converging in Belém, Brazil, ahead of the official start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), to discuss urgent measures aimed at curbing global warming and revitalizing stalled climate commitments.
The high-level talks, holding on Thursday and Friday, feature prominent European figures including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, alongside senior officials from the European Union and the United Nations.
Brazil, the summit’s host, hopes the gathering will inject fresh momentum into the upcoming two-week COP30 conference, which begins Monday and is expected to draw tens of thousands of participants from nearly 200 countries.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has branded this year’s event the “COP of Truth,” said the goal is to move beyond rhetoric and deliver tangible global climate outcomes.
“We cannot afford another climate summit of speeches without action,” Lula said earlier this week, emphasizing that the world must demonstrate measurable progress in fighting deforestation and transitioning to clean energy.
World leaders gather in Belém, Brazil, for a pre-COP30 summit to discuss deforestation, sustainable energy, and climate reforms.
Yet, the talks are unfolding in a tense global climate — with wars, economic slowdowns, and fiscal uncertainty overshadowing environmental priorities.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, has confirmed it will not send a high-level delegation to COP30, as the administration continues to advance its fossil fuel expansion agenda.
On Thursday, leaders are expected to launch a multibillion-dollar fund to protect tropical forests, which serve as the “green lungs” of the planet.
Despite previous pledges, progress has been slow: in 2019, 140 countries vowed to end deforestation by 2030, but the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported that nearly seven million hectares of primary forest were lost in 2024 alone.
The Belém summit is also expected to produce a joint call to strengthen international forest fire management, while promoting Brazil’s sustainable fuels initiative, which aims to quadruple biofuel production and use by 2035.
A separate declaration on hunger, poverty reduction, and climate protection will also be tabled as part of Brazil’s broader vision for a fair and inclusive climate transition.
As the world’s attention turns to the Amazon — a critical climate frontier — Lula’s challenge will be to turn diplomatic promises into real-world progress at what he calls the defining moment for climate accountability.
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