Dozens of world leaders have converged on the Brazilian city of Belém ahead of the official opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP30, to discuss urgent global measures to tackle climate change.
The two-day pre-summit, holding on Thursday and Friday, is expected to set the tone for the two-week climate conference beginning Monday, which will attract tens of thousands of delegates from about 200 countries.
European leaders in attendance include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, alongside senior officials from the European Union and the United Nations.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, host of the summit, has described COP30 as the “COP of Truth,” saying it must deliver tangible results in the global fight against climate change.
“This is the COP where the world must stop talking and start doing,” Lula said, stressing that the conference must translate promises into measurable actions to curb global warming.
But the meeting faces significant headwinds. Wars in Europe and the Middle East, rising inflation, and fiscal crises across major economies have shifted global attention away from the climate emergency.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, has confirmed it will not send a high-level delegation to the conference. The Trump administration has doubled down on its fossil fuel agenda, rolling back environmental regulations and pushing for expanded oil and gas exploration — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups.
On Thursday, leaders in Belém are expected to unveil a new multibillion-dollar fund aimed at protecting tropical rainforests, often referred to as the planet’s “green lungs.”
Despite previous pledges, deforestation continues at an alarming rate. In 2019, 140 nations vowed to halt forest destruction by 2030, yet the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) reported that nearly seven million hectares of primary forest were lost in 2024 alone.
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The summit is also expected to issue a joint declaration on international forest fire management and endorse Brazil’s “sustainable fuels initiative,” which targets a fourfold increase in biofuel production and use by 2035.
Additionally, world leaders are working toward a declaration that links the global fight against hunger and poverty to broader climate action goals — a nod to growing calls from developing nations for equitable climate financing and inclusive development.
As the world looks toward COP30, the Belém gathering is being viewed as a critical test of whether political leaders still possess the will — and unity — to confront the escalating climate crisis before it spirals beyond control.
