S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Brazilian president Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva said on Thursday (6), in his speech at the COP30 Leaders\u2019 Summit, that the climate agenda must be placed at the center of discussions, and that countries must overcome the differences that prevent them from tackling global warming. He also highlighted that, for the first time, a COP climate conference is being held in the Amazon rainforest. On Thursday and Friday (7), the climate summit will discuss the main topics of COP30, which begins on Monday (10) in Bel\u00e9m, Brazil\u2019s Par\u00e1 state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his speech, Lula warned about the human and material consequences of global warming, such as the loss of lives and the reduction of gross domestic product. He also acknowledged that, after ten years in effect, the Paris Agreement has managed to avert the worst projections for climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor the first time in history, a Climate COP will take place in the heart of the Amazon. In the global imagination, there is no greater symbol of the environmental cause than the Amazon rainforest. Here flow the thousands of rivers and streams that make up the largest river basin on the planet. Here live the thousands of plant and animal species that form the most diverse biome on Earth. Here reside millions of people and hundreds of Indigenous peoples, whose lives are marked by the false dilemma between prosperity and preservation,\u201d Lula said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lula also said that the solution to the climate challenge involves resolving the divergences among peoples, as the areas of convergence \u201care already known.\u201d He said humanity has been aware of the impact of climate change for more than 35 years. \u201cBut it took 28 conferences for the need to move away from fossil fuels and to stop and reverse deforestation to be recognized for the first time, in Dubai. It took an additional year for the prospect of increasing climate financing to USD 1.3 trillion to be acknowledged in Baku. Bel\u00e9m will honor the legacies of COPs 28 and 29,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The COP30 Leaders\u2019 Summit is being attended by 57 heads of state or government from 140 countries. Lula\u2019s schedule includes bilateral meetings on Thursday with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron. On Wednesday (5), he met with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and China\u2019s Vice Premier, Ding Xuexiang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lula also met with the President of Comoros, Azali Assoumani, with whom he discussed matters related to the bilateral agenda between the two countries, as well as the climate agenda. According to information from the presidential office, Assoumani said his country will be directly affected by climate change, as Comoros is made up of islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assoumani also expressed interest in obtaining cooperation to develop his country\u2019s agriculture and reduce reliance on imported food. Lula recalled that a mission from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) visited Comoros in 2024 and said he will deepen Embrapa\u2019s engagement with authorities from the island nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read more<\/em>: Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n
Brazil hosts COP30 leaders\u2019 summit<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n