The UN climate conference began this Monday (9) in Türkiye amid new warnings about global warming. The report is by special envoys Murilo Salviano, Igor Arroyo and Natalie Reinoso.
These are small, clumsy steps. But, without persistence, the babies would not reach the sea. The sea turtle is the COP31 mascot. An animal directly threatened by the warming of the planet and which, by instinct, understands the path of life.
Climate negotiations are progressing at a similar pace. This time in Antalya, in the south of Türkiye, which will host the summit of global leaders, which begins this Monday (9). The presidency is shared with Australia, responsible for creating the technical agenda for the meeting.
One of the main bets of this COP is the electrification of the economy. The proposal is to replace part of the consumption of fossil fuels - such as the combustion of cars, which comes from gasoline and diesel - with energy produced from cleaner sources, such as the sun and wind. Negotiators want to increase the global proportion of electricity from 23% to 35% by 2035.
This Monday (9), at the official handover of the COP presidency, Brazilian ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, who led COP30, in Belém, handed the hosts a hammer made of Amazonian wood. In an interview with Jornal Nacional, the ambassador said that the result of the last American elections could influence part of the discussions at this conference.
"The Trump administration is changing American legislation, removing incentives for the transition and, quite the opposite, encouraging the return to fossils. But this has to go through the American Congress. So, this Democratic victory in Congress will have a gigantic impact on the climate discussion", says André Corrêa do Lago, president of COP30.
COP31: UN says countries need to do more to contain global warming — Photo: Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction
Donald Trump did not send representatives to Türkiye. Something already expected from a government that withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, a pact signed by more than 190 countries to limit global warming. A goal that is increasingly difficult to achieve.
A report released this Monday (9) by the UN pointed out that 2026 should be one of the four hottest years on record. The UN states that the efforts made so far are insufficient and that countries need to do more - urgently. It is in this spirit that the negotiators are now arriving in Türkiye.
The document also highlights that super El Niño is expected to peak in December 2026 and cause even more climate disruption. Another obstacle is the wars in Iran and Ukraine. Conflicts that worsen the global energy crisis and are directly affecting the richest economies, which play a decisive role in financing climate projects.
“Not only do we have to reduce deforestation, but planting forests, that is, increasing vegetation cover, is the only scientifically proven and economically viable way today for you to absorb CO2 that has already been emitted”, says André Corrêa do Lago.
This is one of the pillars of the road map delivered by the Brazilian team for the new COP presidency. The proposals include stopping deforestation, accelerating the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels and expanding sources of financing for climate action. A map that indicates an objective that seems distant, but that insists on committing to the journey.
