World leaders meet in Brazil to tackle global warming

World leaders gathered for the second day of climate talks in Brazil, with a major focus on protecting tropical forests worldwide.

BELEM, Brazil (AP/UNB) — World leaders gathered for the second day of climate talks in Brazil, with a major focus on protecting tropical forests worldwide.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed the “Tropical Forests Forever Facility,” a fund designed to pay 74 developing countries to preserve their forests. Unlike traditional aid, the fund would use loans from wealthier nations and commercial investors, creating a financial incentive for governments to keep forests standing rather than cutting them down.

The talks are being held in Belem, a city within the Amazon rainforest, highlighting the region’s crucial role in regulating the global climate. Forest destruction benefits cattle ranchers, miners, and illegal loggers, but Brazil hopes countries will see preserving forests as a more valuable long-term investment due to their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

Norway pledged $3 billion to the fund, the largest commitment so far, while Germany is expected to announce support. Brazilian officials reported a total of $5.5 billion in pledges, with 20% earmarked for Indigenous communities, who have historically managed and protected these lands. Indigenous representatives from Brazil and neighbouring countries are participating in this year’s summit.

However, the talks also revealed divisions and absences. Leaders from China, the United States, and India—three of the world’s biggest polluters—did not attend the preliminary gathering.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres criticized global powers for prioritizing fossil fuel interests over public welfare. He warned that allowing global warming to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, the target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, would be “a moral failure and deadly negligence,” causing increased hunger, displacement, and other severe consequences.

The summit highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing economic interests with urgent climate action and the critical role tropical forests play in global environmental stability. - UNB