🔗 Share this article

Today, within Brazil's Amazon region, the Belém conference commences prior to the UN's 30th climate summit (Cop30). Leaders have been gathered by me world leaders in the days leading up to the conference to ensure collective dedication to acting with the urgency that the environmental emergency requires.

If we fail to move beyond speeches into real action, public trust will diminish – not only in the Cops, but in multilateralism along with global diplomacy in general. That is why I have summoned leaders to the Amazon: to make this the “Cop of truth”, the occasion where we prove our collective dedication's gravity toward Earth.

People have demonstrated their capacity to overcome great challenges when it acts together and is guided by science. We protected the ozone layer. Worldwide actions during the Covid-19 crisis proved that the world can act decisively when there is courage and political will.

Brazil hosted the Earth Summit in 1992. Agreements on climate, biodiversity, and desertification were endorsed, and principles were embraced that established a new paradigm for preserving Earth and humankind. Over the past 33 years, these meetings have yielded key accords and targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – from ending deforestation by 2030 to tripling renewable energy capacity.

More than three decades later, global attention returns to Brazil to confront climate change. There's a reason why Cop30 is being held in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. It offers a chance for leaders, envoys, researchers, campaigners, and reporters to observe the Amazon's actual conditions. Our aim is for global observation of the true state of the forests, Earth's biggest river system, and the numerous inhabitants of the area. Climate conferences must not just display concepts or annual gatherings for negotiators. They must be moments of contact with reality and opportunities for real steps against environmental shifts.

To confront this crisis together, we need resources. And we must recognise that the concept of shared yet varied duties stays as the fixed basis of any climate pact. This is why developing nations call for greater access to resources – not out of charity, but justice. Rich countries have benefited the most from fossil fuel economies. They should now fulfill their obligations, not only by making commitments but by honouring their debts.

Brazil is doing its part. Within just two years, we have already halved deforestation in the Amazon, showing that concrete climate action is possible.

In Belém, we will launch a novel program for forest conservation: the TFFF fund. It is innovative because it operates as an investment fund, not a donation mechanism. The TFFF will reward those who keep their forests standing and those who invest in the fund. A true mutually beneficial strategy for addressing environmental issues. Leading by example, Brazil has announced an investment of $1bn in the TFFF, and we anticipate similarly bold pledges from other countries.

We also demonstrated leadership through being the second nation to present a new nationally determined contribution (NDC). Brazil has vowed to cut its emissions from 59% to 67%, covering all greenhouse gases and every economic area. In this spirit, we call on all countries to present equally ambitious NDCs and to execute them thoroughly.

The energy transition is fundamental for achieving Brazil's climate goals. Our energy matrix is among the cleanest in the world, with 88% of our electricity coming from renewable sources. We excel in biofuel production and are progressing in wind, solar, and green hydrogen.

Channeling oil earnings to finance a just, orderly and equitable energy transition will be essential. In the long run, global petroleum firms, such as Brazil's Petrobras, will transform into energy companies, since an economic model reliant on fossil fuels is unsustainable.

People must be at the centre of political decisions about climate and the shift to clean energy. We must recognise that society's most at-risk groups suffer the most from environmental effects, this is why equitable transition and adjustment strategies should target reducing disparities.

It's crucial to remember that two billion individuals have no access to clean technologies and fuels for cooking, and 673 million people still live with hunger. In response, we will launch in Belém a statement on hunger, poverty, and climate. Our commitment to fight global warming should be closely tied to the fight against hunger.

It is also fundamental that we advance the reform of global governance. Currently, multilateralism suffers from the paralysis within the UN Security Council. Created to preserve peace, it has not stopped conflicts. It is our duty, therefore to fight for the reform of this institution. During Cop30, we will push for the creation of a UN climate change council connected to the General Assembly. It would be a new governance structure with the power and credibility to ensure that countries deliver on their promises, and a practical move towards overcoming the present deadlock in global cooperation.

At every climate conference, numerous commitments are made yet few concrete actions follow. The era of declarations of good intentions has ended: the moment for implementation plans is here. This is why we commence today the "truthful Cop".