“The most diverse biome on Earth is home to nearly fifty million people, including four hundred indigenous peoples. The Amazon is not an abstraction: it is home, it is economy, it is culture, it is life”.
With these words from the Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva The 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) officially opens in Belém, in the state of Pará, in the heart of the Amazon. For the first time, the world’s major climate conference is taking place in a region that represents both urgency and hope.
“A political and symbolic decision“, says Lula. So will this be the right time to demonstrate that the Amazon is an essential part of the climate solution and not just a topic of debate?
We will see. The fact is that, as usual, 10 years after the Paris Agreements, the conditions are not the most rosy, if we consider that the United States, which left those agreements at the hands of Trump, and the leading exponents of China and India are missing.
Lula’s speech
The President outlined three pillars of action that should guide the COP30 negotiations: meeting climate commitments already made, strengthening global governance and putting people at the center of climate decisions.
Among the proposals, President Lula supported the creation of a Global Climate Council linked to the United Nations General Assembly to ensure greater coordination and political accountability between countries.
We need institutions that are up to the crisis we are facing, he said, speaking of a real “COP of Truth”, as a space to tackle disinformation and support science, and of a “COP of Implementation”, characterized by the transformation of commitments into concrete actions. And he reiterated that, despite the progress made since the Paris Agreement, the global pace remains insufficient to contain planetary warming.
We are moving in the right direction, but at the wrong speed.
Lula against the deniers
They control algorithms, sow hatred, spread fear, attack institutions, science and universities. It is time to inflict a new defeat on the deniers”: with these words the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, directly addresses the deniers of the climate crisis, with a jab, it is clear, aimed at President Trump.
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If those who wage war were here at this COP, they would realize that it is much cheaper to invest 1.3 billion to end the climate problem rather than spend 2.7 trillion dollars to wage war, as they did last year.
“The COP of truth”
The climate is no longer a future threat, but a tragedy that we are already experiencing today.
The devastating consequences of global warming are now tangible, with hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, fires and floods hitting several parts of the world hard.
“Hurricane Melissa that hit the Caribbean and the tornado in Paraná caused victims and left a trail of destruction“, he added, underlining how the increase in global temperatures is causing suffering especially among the most vulnerable populations. And for Lula, COP30 will be the COP of truth, in an era in which disinformation thrives and scientific progress is hindered.
The call to action: a three-part plan
Lula then exposed his “Call to Action“, an urgent call to world leaders to redouble their efforts to fight climate change. With the risk of exceeding the critical limit of 1.5 degrees of global temperature increase, he reiterated the urgency of a just transition. His appeal is divided into three key points:
- Deliver on commitments: ensure adequate funding and concrete actions to support developing countries in the fight against climate change
- Accelerate climate action: create clear roadmaps to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, stop deforestation and mobilize resources for the environment
- Putting people at the centre: Global warming has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable people, and policies must recognize the crucial role of indigenous communities and traditional peoples
Cop30 in the Amazon is a challenge as big as that of putting an end to pollution of the planet, he added declared Lula, underlining the importance of bringing the event to the heart of the Amazon. “Belém will be the capital of the world for two weeks,” he said, highlighting that “the Amazon is not an abstract entity,” but the home of more than 50 million people. A challenge that Lula accepted with determination, demonstrating that “when there is political will, determination and commitment to the truth, nothing is impossible.”
Finally, Lula concluded with a message of hope:
We owe our children and grandchildren the opportunity to live on an Earth where it is possible to dream.
The ecological transition must be fair and reduce inequalities between the North and South of the world, generating a future where young generations can build dreams, not tragedies. For Lula, the climate emergency is also a crisis of inequality, which threatens those who already live in vulnerable conditions.
COP30 is not just an opportunity to negotiate global policies, but a call to recognize the truth about climate change and act urgently. It’s time to choose a different future, and there’s no more time to waste.
