Lula Calls for Unity at COP30 as US Absence Casts Shadow Over Climate Talks

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged world leaders to close ranks at the COP30 climate summit in Belem, stressing cooperation and patience as the gathering grapples with deep divisions, and the conspicuous absence of the United States.

Lula met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other key figures on Wednesday in an attempt to push forward a deal that could ease tensions over fossil fuels and climate financing. The Brazilian leader, now one of the loudest voices for climate action in the Global South, framed his message around inclusion rather than pressure.

“We need to show society that we want this without imposing anything on anyone, without setting deadlines for each country to decide what it can do within its own time, within its own possibilities,” Lula told reporters, calling for a shared “roadmap” on climate action.

But that roadmap remains the sticking point. Scientists have warned that without a rapid shift away from fossil fuels, the planet faces cascading ecological damage and escalating extreme weather, impacts that will hit poorer nations hardest.

“A road map is not a workshop or a ministerial meeting. A road map is a real workplan that needs to show us the way from where we are to where we need to be, and how to get there,” warned seven prominent scientists in a joint letter, some of whom advise the COP30 presidency.

While Washington’s decision to sit out the summit looms large, it is not the only cloud overhead. Other major economies have also been slow to embrace aggressive targets, exposing familiar fault lines between developed and developing nations.

India and several poorer countries have openly criticised wealthy states for dragging their feet, arguing that those most responsible for historical emissions are also the least willing to remove barriers to renewable technologies and climate finance.