At the 30th United Nations Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, 53 heads of state gathered to commemorate 30 years of climate negotiations. However, the reality is discouraging—global greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 34% compared with 1995, and emissions reduction progress is far behind the target. In 2024, the global temperature will break through the pre-industrial 1.5°C warning line for the first time, and fossil fuel consumption remains high, especially driven by the increase in energy demand for AI data centers.
During the meeting, Brazil announced the establishment of the "Tropical Forest Forever Facility" (Tropical Forest Forever Facility), with a target of raising US$125 billion to pay incentives to countries that protect forests. Currently, 53 countries have supported it and committed more than US$5.5 billion in funds. Brazilian President Lula called the move "the first time the global South has taken a leading role in the forest agenda" and plans to protect more than 1 billion hectares of forest land by 2030.
Simon Steel, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, defended multilateral climate cooperation, saying that without a climate negotiation mechanism, human warming may have approached 5°C, but current model predictions have dropped to less than 3°C. However, Panama’s climate envoy Monterrey pointed out: “There has indeed been progress in the past 30 years, but it is far from enough to fulfill the promise.”
Previously, the Trump administration had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and called climate change the "hoax of the century." Colombian President Petro bluntly said that "Trump is anti-humanity", and British Prime Minister Starmer warned that "the global climate consensus is collapsing."