Climate change without the US. Brazil hosts dozens of leaders, big players left out

The COP30 conference on climate change, marking three decades of global climate negotiations, opens in Belém, Brazil. The event is taking place in the shadow of a worrying weakening of multilateral cooperation, with the leaders of the US, China, India and Russia absent from the list of participants.

The absence of the United States creates room for a more open discussion, some experts, including former Brazilian Justice Minister Pedro Abramovay, say.

The conference hosts 53 heads of state and dozens of other subnational leaders. Brazil urged countries to abandon the idea of making new pledges and instead fulfill the hundreds already made in efforts to curb emissions. Methane emissions in particular have increased since the 2021 pledge.

Former New York mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg has pledged a hundred million dollars to support methane monitoring via satellites. At the same time, the definitive creation of a "Tropical Forests Forever Fund" is being discussed, for which Brazil and Indonesia have each pledged one billion dollars.

However, the UK, which helped define the fund, has refused to contribute financially. China has pledged a financial contribution, but has not yet specified the amount.

(reuters, max)