According to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization, this year will be the second or third warmest ever recorded on the planet. The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being held in Belém, Brazil — a city situated in the heart of our planet’s lungs, the Amazon rainforest.

Brazil carries symbolic weight, as the UNFCCC was signed there in 1992.

Lula da Silva: Climate change is no longer a threat of the future, it is a tragedy of the present

In the decade following the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP21, some progress has been made in the fight against climate change — but it remains insufficient. In his opening speech, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed that climate change is no longer a threat of the future but a tragedy of the present. He called this year’s summit a “moment of truth.”

When the Paris Agreement was signed, scientific projections were showing that without decisive climate action, global temperatures could rise by more than four degrees Celsius before the end of the 21st century. “We are moving in the right direction, but at the wrong speed,” Lula said, also pointing to climate misinformation as a major obstacle to planning and implementing effective measures.

Guterres: We have failed to stop global warming

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his address that the harsh truth is that the world has failed to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Just days before the summit, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released its annual report showing that, under current policies, the 1.5-degree limit will be reached within the next decade – and the planet will warm by 2.8 degrees by the end of the century.

Guterres: This is moral failure – and deadly negligence

“Even a temporary overshoot will have dramatic consequences. It could push ecosystems past irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unlivable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security. Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement, and loss – especially for those least responsible. This is moral failure – and deadly negligence,” Guterres warned.

Still, he emphasized that the UN has not given up on the 1.5-degree goal. “We have never been better equipped to fight back,” he said, adding that the clean energy revolution is gaining unstoppable momentum.

In the first half of 2025, renewables overtook coal as the top source of global electricity. Renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels, and the cost of electricity storage continues to decline.

The US will not participate in negotiations

One of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters – the United States – has sent representatives to the summit, but President Donald Trump’s administration announced it would not take part in negotiations. In January, he announced that his country would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and later called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” during a speech at the UN in September.

Focus on implementing existing commitments

The main focus of COP30 in Belém is the implementation of previously agreed commitments and the enforcement of the Paris Agreement. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions remains a key topic, alongside the first Global Stocktake – a comprehensive assessment of progress toward the Paris goals, aimed at encouraging countries to submit more ambitious national climate plans.

Despite some progress, the latest nationally determined contributions (NDCs) remain far from sufficient to prevent the most severe effects of climate change.

Another central issue will be the establishment of a New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance – determining the scale, timelines, and mechanisms for funding, as well as the share of resources that must go toward adaptation and support for the most vulnerable communities.

According to UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2025, developing countries will need more than USD 310 billion annually by 2035 to adapt to climate impacts, yet they currently have access to only a fraction of that amount.

Toward a just transition and nature protection

Delegates will also discuss operationalizing the Global Goal on Adaptation, which aims to measure progress in building climate resilience.

Another key topic will be the concept of a just transition, with a proposal to establish the Belém Action Mechanism for Just Transition – a new framework to ensure that climate and economic transitions put people at the center. It would include job creation, retraining programs, and support for communities dependent on fossil fuel industries.

Given that COP30 is taking place in the heart of the Amazon, particular attention is dedicated to nature and forest conservation. Brazil plans to present the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, an initiative designed to secure long-term funding for the protection of tropical forests.