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Belém Leaders’ Summit Sets COP30 Stage With Tropical Forests Fund and Big‑Power No‑Shows

A forceful call to halt fossil expansion aims to pivot the process from promises to implementation.

Overview

  • Brazil launched the Tropical Forests Fund to pay for keeping forests standing, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announcing roughly $1 billion in seed capital and a design intended to attract private investment.
  • Leader‑level participation was thin from major emitters, with the United States not sending a high‑profile representative, China represented by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, and India absent.
  • UN Secretary‑General António Guterres urged immediate emissions cuts and warned that investing in fossil fuels is short‑sighted and self‑destructive, pressing wealthy nations to meet climate finance commitments.
  • Lula cast COP30 as a "COP of truth," called for separating geopolitical rivalries from climate action, and argued for channeling oil revenues into a just energy transition even as Brazil faces scrutiny over new Petrobras exploration.
  • With leaders’ talks concluded and formal negotiations set for Nov. 10–21, Belém grapples with limited lodging despite over 6,000 million reals in upgrades, using ships and temporary accommodations as protests and civil society return to the streets.