Brazil's Lula Urges Global Unity Against Climate Deniers at COP30

Sat Dec 06 2025 22:37:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In his opening remarks at the UN climate talks in Belém, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized the need to combat climate denialism and misinformation, calling for collective action against those undermining climate science.

At the COP30 climate talks, Brazilian President Lula called for a united front against climate denialism and fake news, indirectly referencing former President Trump’s controversial comments on climate change. With the US absent from significant participation, Lula stressed the importance of 'defeating deniers' and highlighted Brazil's plans to spearhead a fund to protect tropical forests as efforts to address climate change advance amidst political challenges.

The world must 'defeat' climate denialism and fight fake news, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has told the opening meeting of the UN climate talks.

In a rallying cry to COP30, President Lula again made thinly veiled references to President Donald Trump, who branded climate change 'a con job' in September.

The two weeks of talks kicked off on Monday in the lush Brazilian city of Belém on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.

They take place against a fraught political backdrop, and the US has sent no senior officials.

On Monday, thousands of delegates poured into the COP venue in a heavily air-conditioned former aerodrome, some coming from accommodations in shipping containers and cruise ships moored on the riverside.

Members of the Guajajara indigenous group, in traditional dress, performed a welcome song and dance for assembled diplomats.

Addressing the conference, President Lula said, 'COP30 will be the COP of truth' in an era of 'fake news and misrepresentation' and 'rejection of scientific evidence.'

Without naming President Trump, President Lula continued, 'they control the algorithms, sow hatred and spread fear.'

'It's time to inflict a new defeat on the deniers,' he said.

Since President Trump took office in January, he has promised to invest heavily in fossil fuels, saying that this will secure greater economic prosperity for the US. His administration has cancelled more than $13bn of funding for renewable energy and is taking steps to open up more areas of the US to oil and gas exploration.

This backdrop has put the COP talks in a difficult position as nations aim to make progress on tackling climate change without the participation of the world's biggest economy.

Brazil wants to use its presidency of the talks to secure progress on key promises made in previous years, including moving away from fossil fuels and protecting nature. President Lula's centerpiece is a fund called the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) that Brazil hopes will raise $125bn to protect tropical forests globally.

Fund-raising got off to a slow start, but discussions continue as nations gear up to address the pressing issues of climate change amid challenges and political undertones.