Brazil's Lula Urges Global Action Against Climate Denialism at COP30

Tue Nov 11 2025 15:51:26 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In an impassioned plea during the opening of COP30 in Belém, Brazil's President Lula calls for a united front against climate denialism and misinformation, emphasizing the necessity for truth in environmental discourse.

During the COP30 climate talks, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged global leaders to combat climate denialism and the spread of misinformation. Speaking from Belém, he criticized hidden interests controlling online narratives and stressed the urgency of addressing climate change collectively. The conference aims to reassure the world of its commitment to climate action amid concerns over the absence of key U.S. officials and ongoing challenges like funding for sustainable initiatives.

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 accommodation 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.

That puts the country at odds with the majority of nations still committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in green energy.

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.

Some delegates fear that the US could still decide to send officials to undermine the talks. Other environmental talks collapsed this year following US pressure, labelled bully-boy tactics by some participants.

Addressing officials in Belém, UN climate chief Simon Stiell initially struck an optimistic tone. He said significant progress had been made in the last decade to reduce emissions of planet-warming gases.

But then he took aim at squabbling between countries.

Brazil wants to use its presidency of the talks to secure progress on key promises made in previous years, including moving away from the use of planet-warming fossil fuels, financing for developing countries, and protecting natural ecosystems.

President Lula's flagship initiative is a fund called the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), which Brazil hopes will raise $125bn to protect tropical forests globally. Fundraising got off to a slow start, but UK climate envoy Rachel Kyte expressed optimism about future contributions.

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