With Brazil launching three weeks of events tied to the COP30 climate summit, the country steps into a familiar yet fraught global role: trying to keep the world united on climate action even as major economies waver.
The formal opening of the 30th UN Climate Conference this week comes at a time when doubts are growing about global cooperation. Economic turmoil, multiple wars, and the recent roll back of US climate commitments have thrown a long shadow over the world’s fight against global warming.
Business Leaders Push for Climate Financing
In São Paulo, international business leaders called upon governments to quicken the pace of policy action to finance the transition to renewable energy. In an open letter signed by 35 groups, representing over 100,000 companies, they called on governments to create “urgent incentives” for the take-up of renewable energy.
“It’s a recognition from the business community of the importance of multilateralism and raising ambition,” said Maria Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, which coordinated the letter.
The call for green financing now comes at a time when countries are juggling competing priorities, including food security and artificial intelligence, leaving clean energy efforts underfunded despite record-low renewable costs.
Local Leaders to Meet Amid Protests
But while São Paulo is an epicenter of climate policy, Rio de Janeiro this week is hosting a Local Leaders Summit for mayors and governors. Meant to be a showcase for urban climate solutions, there is a risk it will be overshadowed by protests over last week’s violent police crackdown.
Adding to the high-profile moments of the week, Prince William will preside over an Earthshot Prize ceremony in Rio, honoring innovation in environmentalism.
Geopolitical Tensions and Waning Unity
COP30 opens at a time when international trust is fragile. A spate of unpredictable US tariffs and policy reversals on clean energy have unsettled global markets and investors. Meanwhile, wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have diverted attention and resources from climate pledges.
“Clean energy still makes strong business sense: it ensures both competitiveness and security,” said Gonzalo Sáenz de Miera, chairman of the Spanish Green Growth Group, while underlining that climate action remains economically feasible despite the political headwinds. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/10/what-can-cop30-achieve-following-us-withdrawal-and-underwhelming-climate-plans
A Symbolic Return to Brazil
This year’s summit carries deep symbolism, coming as it does 33 years on from the Rio Earth Summit where nations first signed up to a UN treaty to fight climate change. Since then, the COP meetings have grown into sprawling forums of negotiation among governments, scientists, and civil society.
Yet progress is uneven: nearly 40% of all industrial-era carbon emissions have been released since that historic 1992 treaty, a stark indicator that commitments have outpaced action by a wide margin.
Low Attendance reflects Global Fatigue
Attendance to COP 30 is actually expected to be the lowest in years. As of last weekend, fewer than 60 world leaders had confirmed participation in the November 6-7 Leaders’ Summit in Belem, compared to more than 100 in previous years.
High accommodation costs and logistics problems in the Amazon city have further dampened turnout. Only about 12,200 delegates had registered as of October 8, against 54,000 at COP29 in Baku and 84,000 at COP28 in Dubai, according to the UN Climate Agency.
Instead, many delegations are attending parallel events in São Paulo and Rio on green finance and local governance. “It is inspiring to see business leaders and mayors converge in Brazil to collaborate for acceleration of action,” said Dan Ioschpe, chair of the Brazilian company Ioschpe-Maxion and a leading figure in the COP30 business engagement drive.
Amazon Voices Hit the Stage By holding the conference in Belem, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil has sought to place indigenous voices at the center of the global climate debate.
Indigenous groups and activists will be arriving in flotillas down the Amazon River, with a list of conservation demands for world leaders. Many will camp out in the rainforest during the conference, underscoring the human and ecological stakes of climate change.
A Test for Global Climate Leadership, COP30 is what many hope will restore faith in climate diplomacy amid stalled momentum. For President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, this is an opportunity to prove Brazil’s leadership as a bridge between the Global South and major economies. The lack of full backing by the United States and widespread political fatigue, however, may make COP30’s path rather uphill in delivering any breakthroughs. With the Amazon hosting the world once more, the question is whether leaders will renew their pledges, not just rehearse them.
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