COP30 Climate Summit Begins Without U.S. Delegation

The pivotal United Nations Climate Summit, known as COP30, has kicked off in Belem, Brazil, with world leaders arriving for the two-day gathering. However, the notable absence of a United States delegation has raised concerns among climate advocates that this could "derail" momentum behind new emissions and financing commitments.

The lack of a U.S. presence is particularly concerning as China has sent its deputy prime minister, raising fears over whether the world's two largest emitters will shape any meaningful outcomes. Activists have stepped in to fill the void left by the U.S., with hundreds of representatives from organizations like Greenpeace and the Center for Biological Diversity on the ground to ensure international leaders do not allow "a bully like Trump to derail decades of negotiations."

The host city of Belem exemplifies the high stakes of the climate summit, as leaders arrive to see the barren plains and winding rivers surrounding the coastal city - a stark reminder of the ongoing destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Around 17% of the Amazon's forest cover has vanished in the past 50 years, with the "lungs of the world" choked by wildfires and cleared for farmland, logging, and mining.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hopes to use the summit to convince world powers to mobilize funds to halt the destruction of tropical rainforests globally and make progress on other critical climate goals. As the talks unfold, the debate will take place under the shadow of a controversial memo by Bill Gates, who has advocated for a "strategic pivot" in how the world approaches climate change.