Lula Returns to COP30 in Final Stretch of Climate Negotiations

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has decided to return today to the XXX United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), during the final stretch of negotiations, with many issues still pending.

In a letter read last Sunday by Environment Minister Marina Silva, the host head of state announced that upon his return to the forum, he would meet with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.

*"I will return to Belém on November 19 to meet with the UN Secretary-General in a joint effort to strengthen climate governance and multilateralism,"* the president stated in the document.

He asserted that a plan for the energy transition and an end to illegal deforestation is necessary.

"We need plans so that humanity, in a just and planned manner, can overcome its dependence on fossil fuels, stop and reverse deforestation, and mobilize resources for these purposes. We cannot leave Belém without decisions on these issues," he reasoned.

He also indicated that he would participate in meetings with representatives from various countries, civil society, indigenous peoples, and traditional populations, as well as governors and mayors.

Lula delivered the opening speech at COP30 on November 10. According to advisors directly involved in the event, his return this Wednesday is not considered a definitive solution for closing unresolved pacts, but it could carry political and symbolic weight in the conclusion of the agreements.

Outstanding Issues

The following issues remain under negotiation: Climate finance (who pays for the consequences of the crisis), International trade (how market rules affect the climate), and the Ambition gap (how inadequate current targets remain).

Similarly, Implementation reports (how each country shows what it has or has not done), Bilateral agreements, and Adaptation to new norms are also key topics.

Analysts state that the conference is proceeding into its final week with more questions than answers.

The Brazilian presidency of the COP is emphasizing the need to conclude negotiations on adaptation to climate change but still faces many difficulties.

Broader Aims

Lula's return would have the additional goal of trying, at a minimum, to ensure that his idea—advocated in his speeches during the Leaders' Summit and at the opening of COP30, a roadmap for the end of fossil fuels—is included in the final declaration as a matter to be addressed in future COPs.

This point does not appear in the official negotiation text, but it is present in the COP document from the national presidency as a priority content for discussion, which gained greater relevance after its inclusion in the speeches by the founder of the ruling Workers' Party.