The Amazonian city of Belem will host this year’s UN climate talks – Image: Anderson Coelho/REUTERS
Brazil knows how to put on a show. From the World Cup and the Olympics to a recent free Lady Gaga concert that drew millions of people to Copacabana Beach, few nations stage global spectacles quite like it. Next up is climate diplomacy’s most important annual event, the UN climate summit, known as COP.
Thirty years after the first conference in Berlin, thousands of delegates will gather in the Amazonian city of Belem for two weeks of talks aimed at tackling a climate crisis that is already transforming the planet.
Last year was the hottest on record, with rising temperatures fueling deadly floods in Pakistan, wildfires across Europe and heat waves that scorched Brazil and large parts of the globe this past summer.
As wars and geopolitical tensions monopolize attention, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago emphasized the urgency of the problem, saying the conference will take place in a world at the “epicenter of the climate crisis.”
But as Brazil steps into the global spotlight, it faces its own contradictions when it comes to tackling climate change, including trying to balance protection of the Amazon rainforest with developing its economy.
Why is COP30 being held in the Amazon?
Belem’s selection to host the event hasn’t been without controversy. With hotel rooms in short supply, some local businesses have been accused of cashing in by hiking prices, prompting concern about affordability for delegates and visitors.
Still, the choice carries symbolic weight. The city is known as the “gateway” to the Amazon, one of the world’s most biodiverse and climate-critical regions.
The vast rainforest helps regulate the global climate by storing billions of tons of carbon. But scientists warn it is nearing a dangerous tipping point at which rising temperatures and deforestation could trigger widespread forest dieback.
For many, that makes Belem a fitting backdrop for the talks.
It’s on the “frontlines of climate change” where people can see its impacts, such as extended fire seasons and drought, said Claudio Angelo, chief communications officer at the Climate Observatory, a network of Brazilian NGOs.
The location also allows Brazil to showcase efforts to curb deforestation, its largest source of emissions.
Since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s return to the presidency in 2022, Brazil has reversed the deforestation surge seen under predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who rolled back forest protections. Lula’s government has pledged to end deforestation by 2030, and rates fell by 30% last year.
But the progress faces new challenges. Brazil recorded around 200,000 wildfires last year, which burned an area larger than Belgium and released the equivalent of Germany’s annual emissions. While many fires stem from land clearing, drier and hotter conditions mean they burn faster and more ferociously.
The decision to clear part of the rainforest to build a large highway to Belem, intended to ease traffic during COP30, was met with backlash.
What is Brazil doing for the climate?
Brazil is one of the world’s top climate polluters, contributing around 2.5% of total global emissions. It has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions 59-67% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. The South American country is also a renewables powerhouse, with nearly 90% of its electricity coming from clean energy sources such as hydropower, wind and solar.
At the same time, Brazil’s planning to ramp up fossil fuel production and is “hell-bent” on becoming the world’s fourth largest oil producer, said Angelo. Lula’s approval of new drilling at the mouth of the Amazon has drawn sharp criticism from environmentalists.
In 2023, Brazil joined other countries at COP28 in Dubai in agreeing to move away from fossil fuels — the main driver of global heating. But officials argue that rich countries should lead the race to decarbonize. As a developing nation, they say Brazil has the right to explore its oil reserves, as industrialized countries have already profited from fossil fuels.
Speaking to DW in July, COP30 president Correa do Lago said the income from exporting these assets could help to fund the country’s move away from fossil fuels. Still, critics in Brazil and abroad note the contradiction of a COP host championing climate action while expanding oil output, a charge also leveled at previous hosts Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite ambitious national climate pledges for COP30 this expansion is a “contradiction in Brazilian climate policy,” said Angelo.
Environmental protection is also facing another obstacle in the form of a draft law — dubbed the “devastation bill” by activists. Backed by a powerful agribusiness bloc in the Brazilian congress, the controversial bill aims to loosen environmental protections required in the licensing for new infrastructure projects and fast-track those considered “strategic” such as highways or hydro dams.
Although Lula vetoed many of the most damaging sections, the fast-tracking provision remains. Environmental campaigners warn it could still open the door to more deforestation and displacement of traditional communities.
What can the world hope the Brazil presidency achieves at COP30?
COP30 also marks a decade since nearly 200 nations signed the Paris Agreement, pledging to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) and to pursue efforts to cap the rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Global temperatures are now 1.4C above pre-industrial levels — the baseline before humans began burning fossil fuels on a massive scale during the Industrial Revolution. With concentrations of planet-warming CO2 also reaching record highs, the pressure is on nations to up climate ambition and emissions cuts, building on COP28’s pledge to transition away from fossil fuels.
Despite its oil expansion plans, Angelo says it is possible Brazil as a host can help deliver this. He noted the first time there was a recognition of transitioning away from fossil fuels was in 2023 at a COP held in petrostate United Arab Emirates with an event president that was head of an oil company.
Brazil will also use its presidency this year to officially launch the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), a global fund that will pay countries based on how well they protect their forests.
Tropical forests store 50% of the amount of carbon stored in trees worldwide. Lula has announced the country will contribute $1 billion (€861 million) to the initiative.
But overall success in Belem will depend on many nations bridging the tensions in their climate policy and action.
“What we will need to do is to overcome our contradictions,” Marina Silva, environment minister of Brazil, told DW. “They exist in Brazil, in the European Union, everywhere.”
(DW.com/NAN 10-11-25)
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