Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has reaffirmed his goal for COP30 to be the “COP of Truth,” a conference that will fight misinformation and uphold science.
“It is time to deliver yet another defeat to denialism,” he said.
President Lula said that although there has been some progress since the Paris Agreement, the world is still not doing enough to stop global warming.
“We are moving in the right direction, but at the wrong speed,” he said.
He added that climate change is no longer a distant danger but a crisis already destroying lives.
“Climate change is no longer a threat of the future; it is a tragedy of the present,” President Lula said, recalling the recent floods in southern Brazil and Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean.
He added that, the world lives in an era in which obscurantists reject scientific evidence and attack institutions.
The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) officially opened on Monday, November 10, in Belém, in the state of Pará, at the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
Over the next two weeks, global leaders, scientists, and civil society groups will work to turn promises into real climate action.
President Lula said that hosting COP30 in Belém was a “political and symbolic decision,” showing that the Amazon is not just a talking point — it is part of the climate solution.
“The most diverse biome on Earth is home to nearly fifty million people, including four hundred Indigenous peoples. The Amazon is not an abstraction — it is home, it is economy, it is culture, it is life,” Lula said.
He added that the world must leave Belém with a new sense of commitment.
“When you leave Belém, the delegates will take with them the commitment to act, while the people of the city will remain with the investments this conference has brought. The world will finally be able to say that it truly knows the reality of the Amazon.”
President Lula outlined three key pillars for COP30: fulfilling existing climate promises, strengthening global climate governance and putting people at the centre of all climate decisions.
Among his proposals was the creation of a Global Climate Council, linked to the United Nations General Assembly, to improve coordination and accountability among countries.
“We need institutions that are up to the scale of the crisis we are facing,” he said.
COP30 President Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago said the conference represents a turning point — the beginning of the decade of implementation for the Paris Agreement.
“This COP must be remembered as the COP of Action — a conference that turns commitments into results. It is time to integrate climate, economy, and development, creating jobs, reducing inequalities, and strengthening trust among nations.”
He thanked the Brazilian teams that made the event possible and said the world sees Brazil as a symbol of unity and commitment.
“COP30 is the result of a mutirão — a Brazilian word the world has learned, which symbolises the essence of this conference: working together.”
Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Simon Stiell, said COP30 must mark a new era of cooperation and courage.
“We are at the mouth of the world’s largest river, and what it teaches us is that great results come from the convergence of many flows. COP must function in the same way — driven by cooperation and courage.”
He said the transition to renewable energy is already underway: “The economics of the transition are undeniable. Renewables have already surpassed coal as the world’s main energy source. Now it is time to turn ambition into concrete action. This is how we show the world that multilateralism still delivers results.”
The President of COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, officially handed over leadership of the global climate process to Brazil, calling the moment the beginning of “a new era of implementation.”
“COP30 inaugurates the first full delivery cycle of the Paris Agreement. From now on, there is no room for promises without action. This is the decade of execution, solidarity, and credibility,” Babayev said.
He also noted that COP29 in Baku secured a historic financial deal, and urged that COP30 in Belém must now focus on real and fair results — especially for developing countries that are hardest hit by climate change.