Brazil Charts Ambitious Course for COP30 in the Heart of Amazon
Brazil has laid out its vision and priorities for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference – COP30, scheduled for 10–21 November 2025 in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon. At a briefing hosted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO),
COP30 President-designate Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago emphasized that the conference will go beyond governments and engage businesses, civil society, and indigenous communities.
“It is an agenda for job creation and people’s lives. And for that we need organizations like WMO where everything started,” he said.
A “COP of Truth”
Ambassador do Lago underscored President Lula’s vision of making COP30 the “COP of truth” – a platform where the real impacts of climate change are communicated clearly. He pointed to the threats climate change poses not only to ecosystems but also to democracy, elections, and access to finance and technology.
Brazil has framed COP30 as the “implementation COP”, urging nations to strengthen their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and move from pledges under the Paris Agreement to concrete delivery.
Science at the Heart of Action
Welcoming delegates, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stressed that COP30 must mark a shift from ambition to implementation, guided by science as the compass.
“Science is clear: extreme weather and climate change impacts are worsening. The question before us is not whether we act, but whether we act in time, together, and with the courage required. The cost of action may seem high. The cost of inaction is much higher,” she said.
Saulo identified three key imperatives for COP30:
Scaling up systematic observations and research
Delivering on adaptation and early warning systems for all
Increasing the volume and accountability of climate finance
A Global Collective Effort
The Brazilian Presidency has described COP30 as a “Global Mutirão for Sustainability” – a collective effort anchored in cooperation.
To broaden engagement, 30 special envoys have been appointed to connect the presidency directly with sectors such as business and food industries, as well as indigenous communities.
Ambassador do Lago explained: “We aim at a completely new dynamic and this dynamic is driven by science.”
A Decisive Year for Climate Action
COP30 will take place a decade after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, but urgency is greater than ever. The lower target of limiting warming to 1.5°C is now at risk, with the past ten years being the warmest on record and 2024 marking the first full year above that threshold.
With Brazil hosting, COP30 aspires to be a decisive turning point — where ambition finally translates into implementation, and where the world’s collective efforts move from words to action.
