With the election of Lula, Brazil is back in international cooperation to fight against climate change. The country thus formalized on Wednesday the candidacy of the city of Belem, gateway to the Amazon, to host the United Nations Climate Conference (COP) of 2025.
“Itamaraty (the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Brasilia) has chosen the city of Belem to compete for the candidacy of hosting COP30”, announced President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a video posted on Twitter.
Massive increase in deforestation
The announcement is part of Lula’s efforts to give Brazil a global leadership role in environmental protection, after years of friction with the international community. During his four years in office, former President Jair Bolsonaro promoted policies favoring agribusiness and the mining sector, leading to a massive increase in deforestation.
Last November, during the COP27 organized in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Lula, then elected president of Brazil, had already announced his wish to organize the 2025 climate conference in the Amazon. “I had made the commitment in Egypt, during COP27, that COP30 could be held in Brazil,” recalled the Head of State, who took office at the head of the country for the third time. , January 1st.
Emmanuel Macron, for his part, supported the proposal. “I ardently wish that we could have a COP in the Amazon, so I fully support this initiative by President Lula,” he said at the time.
In Wednesday’s video, Lula appears alongside the governor of the state of Para, Helder Barbalho, of which Belem, with 1.5 million inhabitants, is the capital. “Belem is open to debate the Amazon, to discuss the global climate and find solutions,” said Helder Barbalho. While waiting to know if this candidacy will be accepted, the next COP must be held in the United Arab Emirates between November and December.