Brazil’s COP30 Chief calls for a climate comeback, inspired by football

Brazil is gearing up to host the COP30 climate summit, and its President-Designate, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, is rallying nations with a powerful message: it’s time for a comeback. Drawing inspiration from football, he urges the world to embrace the spirit of virada—fighting back even when defeat seems inevitable.

In a vision document released Monday, Lago outlined an urgent plan to reignite global climate efforts, especially after recent setbacks like the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and inadequate financial commitments at past climate talks. “Together, we can make COP30 the moment we turn the game around,” the document states, emphasizing that this summit must mark a turning point in climate action.

A Summit at the Heart of the Crisis

COP30, set to take place in Belém, Amazon, will be unique—it will be the first summit held at the very epicenter of the climate crisis. January 2025 recorded the highest global temperatures ever, continuing the alarming trend that made 2024 the first year to surpass the 1.5°C warming threshold.

Adding to the urgency, the Financial Stability Board recently warned that climate disasters could destabilize the global financial system. Scientists have also raised concerns that the Amazon rainforest is approaching an irreversible tipping point, threatening one of the planet’s most crucial ecosystems.

A Call for Ambitious Climate Action

The Brazilian presidency aims to push countries to submit stronger climate action plans, ensuring they align with the goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. A key focus will be on implementing the Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3T, a finance strategy developed at COP29 to drive investments into low-carbon and climate-resilient projects in developing nations.

Although climate pledges, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), are set by individual countries and not directly negotiated at the summit, Brazil plans to facilitate discussions on overcoming roadblocks that have slowed progress. “The future will judge us by how we respond to this crisis,” the document warns. “A lack of ambition will be seen as a failure of leadership.”

Growing Concerns Over Slow Progress

Progress on climate commitments has been slow. Most G20 nations, including China, India, and the European Union, missed the February deadline to update their NDCs for 2035. Only a handful—Canada, Japan, Brazil, the UK, and the UAE—have submitted updated plans.

At COP29 in Baku, climate finance became a major sticking point. Developed nations pledged $300 billion annually by 2035, but this fell short of the $600 billion some developing countries had demanded. India, among others, opposed the proposal, with negotiator Chandni Raina criticizing the lack of trust in climate finance negotiations.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., President Donald Trump has ordered another withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rolled back key climate policies. This move by one of the world’s biggest historical polluters adds further complications to global efforts.

A Collective Effort to Tackle Climate Change

Brazil is calling for a mutirão—a collective effort where communities unite to complete a shared task. The vision document ends with a strong message: “2025 must be the year we channel our frustration into constructive action. Change is inevitable—either by choice or by catastrophe.”

With the stakes higher than ever, COP30 is shaping up to be a defining moment for the future of global climate action.