Ahead of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), dozens of world leaders are meeting Thursday and Friday in Belém, Brazil, to discuss urgent measures to curb global warming.
European attendees include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, alongside senior officials from the EU and UN. The Brazilian hosts hope the summit will generate momentum for the two-week conference, which officially begins Monday with participants from nearly 200 countries.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has dubbed it the “COP of Truth,” emphasized that the conference aims to deliver tangible results. However, geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and continued US support for fossil fuels under Donald Trump complicate the global climate agenda. The White House has confirmed that no high-level US delegation will attend COP30.
On Thursday, leaders are set to launch a multibillion-dollar fund to protect tropical forests, the planet’s “green lungs.” Despite 2019 pledges by 140 countries to halt deforestation by 2030, WWF reports nearly seven million hectares of primary forest were lost in 2024 alone. The summit will also issue a joint call for forest fire management, promote Brazil’s sustainable fuels initiative, and present a declaration linking hunger, poverty, and climate protection.
