French President Emmanuel Macron urged world leaders to put “science over ideology” and unity over division as he opened the COP30 UN Climate Summit on Tuesday in Belém, Brazil, at the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
“Let us choose multilateralism over self-reliance, and science over ideology,” Macron told delegates gathered under sweltering heat and thick humidity. He warned against “prophets of disorder” who, he said, “sow doubt and division” at a time when the world must act collectively to confront the climate crisis.
The two-week summit, hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, brings together more than 12,000 participants, including heads of state, scientists and campaigners. Giant air-conditioned tents have been set up across the Amazonian city to host negotiations and side events.
Before the opening ceremony, Lula met with researchers and community leaders who had travelled by boat from Manaus to Belém as part of a “river caravan,” collecting data and testimonies about the state of the Amazon ecosystem.
“The Amazon is not just Brazil’s responsibility, it’s humanity’s lifeline,” Lula said, pledging renewed efforts to halt deforestation and strengthen protection for Indigenous peoples.
The conference marks the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris Agreement and returns to Brazil, the site of the landmark 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Expectations are high for progress on adaptation finance, loss and damage mechanisms, and a just transition for vulnerable nations.
Scientists have warned that global temperatures temporarily exceeded the 1.5°C threshold last year, underscoring the narrowing window for effective action. The challenge, they say, is to turn long-standing pledges into measurable progress while safeguarding the world’s most exposed communities.
As the leaders’ segment concludes, negotiators will now spend two weeks seeking common ground on climate finance and implementation. The world’s attention turns to Belém, a city surrounded by the forest that helps sustain the planet, to see if global cooperation can still deliver real change.
