Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is framing the upcoming COP30 summit — to be held in the Amazon — as a decisive moment for global climate action, calling it the “COP of Truth.” Lula argues that world leaders must move beyond symbolic commitments and deliver real, enforceable measures to cut emissions. Hosting the conference in Belém, at the edge of the world’s largest rainforest, is intended to remind negotiators of what is at stake: protecting ecosystems that absorb billions of tonnes of carbon and stabilise the planet’s climate.
His urgency echoes a stark new warning from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which reports that global emissions remain at record highs. Current national pledges put the world on track for 2.3–2.5°C of warming, far exceeding the 1.5°C Paris Agreement threshold scientists say is critical to avoid irreversible climate damage. UNEP notes that even full implementation of all climate promises made so far would still leave a massive “emissions gap.” As nations prepare for COP30, the findings underline that without deeper and faster cuts — especially from major emitters — the world risks crossing dangerous climate tipping points. More