Brazil's President Warns Time to Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change Is Rapidly Diminishing at COP30 Summit

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned on Thursday that the window for preventing catastrophic climate change is "closing rapidly" as he addressed a pre-COP30 leaders' summit in Belem, an Amazonian city.

During his opening speech, Lula da Silva criticized "extremist forces" that spread misinformation for electoral advantages while condemning future generations to life on a permanently altered planet due to global warming.

The Brazilian leader referenced a recent United Nations report indicating that Earth will likely experience a 2.5 degrees Celsius temperature increase from pre-industrial levels by 2100. He emphasized that such warming would result in approximately 250,000 deaths annually and reduce global GDP by nearly one-third.

"Now is the moment to face reality and decide if we will have the courage and the necessary determination to transform things," Lula da Silva urged the dozens of world leaders in attendance.

He expressed concern about the prevalence of "selfish immediate interests" over long-term collective welfare, noting that global climate initiatives have been undermined by "insecurity and mutual mistrust."

These comments come amid ongoing tensions between Brazil and the United States, as Lula da Silva has been engaged in a heated tariff dispute with US President Donald Trump. Notably, the United States was absent from these high-level climate discussions.