COP30 begins in Brazil without world’s biggest polluters

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🗞️ Driving the news: The COP30 climate summit has begun in Belém, Brazil, but it is overshadowed by the absence of leaders from the world’s three largest polluters: the United States, China, and India
• Despite these absences, the summit has seen robust speeches, particularly from Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who emphasized the need for global solidarity to combat climate change, protect tropical forests, and fund a just transition

🔭 The context: The COP30 summit comes at a crucial time as global temperatures continue to rise, with 2025 on track to be one of the hottest years on record
• The UN’s World Meteorological Organization warned that the 1.5C target for global warming is becoming increasingly unlikely without a temporary overshoot
• The absence of major polluting countries' leaders highlights the ongoing tension in climate diplomacy, where some nations continue to backtrack on pledges to cut emissions, creating barriers to meaningful global action

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The summit is taking place amid growing alarm over global temperature increases and the deepening climate crisis
• Efforts to meet international climate goals, particularly the 1.5C limit, are at risk without the commitment and cooperation of the world’s largest emitters
• The tropical forests in Brazil, central to carbon sequestration and climate mitigation, remain a focal point of action, with Lula’s proposal for the Tropical Forests Forever Fund aiming to financially reward countries that protect their forests
• However, concerns persist about Brazil's continued reliance on fossil fuels, such as oil exploration near the Amazon

⏭️ What's next: As COP30 progresses, the focus will be on securing concrete actions on climate finance, strengthening emissions reduction pledges, and advancing the protection of critical ecosystems like the Amazon
• The absence of key leaders may hinder progress, but European and Latin American leaders are pushing for accelerated climate finance and action
• Protests and demonstrations from Indigenous groups and youth activists will likely continue to pressure governments for more decisive action

💬 One quote: “We need a roadmap to plan a just way to undo deforestation, overcome fossil fuels and mobilize the resources needed for those aims,” said Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

📈 One stat: The UN’s World Meteorological Organization reported that 2025 is on track to be the second or third hottest year on record, with global temperatures already 1.42C above pre-industrial levels

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