'Lula demands more efforts and appreciation of science against the climate crisis': see how experts evaluate speech

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's (PT) speech at the opening of the COP31 Leaders' Summit, this Wednesday (11), in Antalya, Turkey, received positive evaluations from representatives of environmental organizations, who highlighted the defense of science, the fight against inequalities and the demand for more efforts from countries in tackling the climate crisis.

In the first reactions to the speech, representatives of environmental organizations highlighted the defense of science, concern about the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable populations and the need to expand global efforts against the climate crisis.

The assessments also highlighted Brazil's leading role in international negotiations and the importance of transforming the commitments made into concrete actions, including within the scope of Brazilian energy policy.

At the opening of the conference, Lula demanded that rich countries fulfill their climate commitments and criticized the loss of space on the environmental agenda in the face of wars, trade disputes and other international crises. "Rich countries have developed at the expense of the planet and must fulfill their commitments," said the president.

Lula also defended the strengthening of multilateralism and the need to accelerate the implementation of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat deforestation and expand climate financing.

For Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, the president addressed fundamental issues by relating the climate crisis to the deepening of social inequalities and demanding greater commitment from countries to scientific evidence.

"President Lula touched on essential points in his speech during the opening of the high-level segment of COP31. He highlighted how extreme climate events deepen inequalities, racism and injustices, in addition to being a machine for manufacturing poverty," he stated.

Astrini also highlighted the president's demand for the nations gathered at the conference to expand their efforts to combat global warming.

"It also drew attention to the need for the countries here at the conference to listen more to science. Lula went straight to the point and demanded that countries make more efforts and deliver more, or it will be the poorest and developing nations that will pay the biggest price for an imbalanced climate", he added.

During his speech, Lula stated that the climate crisis is also a crisis of class, gender and racial injustices, in addition to deepening inequalities between countries.

The president defended the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities", according to which developed nations, which have historically contributed more to greenhouse gas emissions, must assume greater responsibilities in tackling the problem.

Greenpeace Brazil's policy specialist, Camila Jardim, also positively assessed the president's international positioning and highlighted Brazilian proposals to expand climate financing, protect forests and promote the transition to less polluting energy sources.

"Brazil arrives at the Leaders' Summit at COP31 as an important global leader in defense of multilateralism, democracy and climate action. The Road Maps presented by Brazil for the end of fossil fuels, for the global protection of forests and for the expansion of climate finance inspire global action and hope", he stated.

Despite the praise, Jardim demanded that the Brazilian government adopt internal measures compatible with the speech defended by the president on the international stage.

"Lula invited the world to bring climate back to the center of the international agenda and, given the urgency of the scenario and Brazil's great potential, it is also up to Lula himself to place climate and the environment at the center of his government," he said.

The expert criticized, in particular, the prospect of expanding oil exploration in Brazil, including projects in environmentally sensitive areas, such as Foz do Amazonas.

"After the victory in achieving the lowest deforestation rate in its history, a country like Brazil in terms of renewable energy, with the potential to become carbon negative as early as 2045, cannot continue with a national energy plan that foresees an increase in dependence on fossil fuels until 2035 and the expansion of oil exploration, especially in areas of high environmental sensitivity such as Foz do Amazonas", he stated.

Greenpeace's demonstration highlights a demand for greater alignment between the climate commitments presented by Brazil in international negotiations and the government's decisions on the exploration of fossil fuels.

In his speech this Wednesday, Lula stated that the conference held in Turkey has the mission of returning the attention to the climate crisis that, according to him, was lost over the last year.

The president said that discussions on climate change have lost space on the international agenda in the face of armed conflicts, inflation and trade disputes.

"We started talking more about weapons and tariffs than the survival of future generations," he declared.

Lula also presented five messages related to Brazilian initiatives to combat the climate crisis.

Among the main points are the defense of international climate financing of US$1.3 trillion per year, the transition from fossil fuels to other energy sources, the fight against deforestation and the expansion of targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The president also highlighted the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), an initiative aimed at financing the conservation of tropical forests, and defended the continuity of international cooperation to protect the Amazon.

When mentioning the results of COP30, held in Belém in 2025, Lula stated that the Brazilian meeting contributed to expanding the participation of indigenous people, quilombolas and traditional communities in climate negotiations.

According to the president, the challenge now is to transform the commitments made by countries into concrete measures.

"Sabotaging the climate regime is destroying the best of the multilateral system," he said.