Global divisions over the future of fossil fuels were laid bare at a diminished leaders’ summit on the eve of the UN COP30 summit in Brazil, even as its president called for a “road map” to shift away from oil and gas.
About 30 heads of state were hosted by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday, about half the number who attended the COP a year ago, and geopolitical tensions were highlighted in speeches.
Following US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, leaders of petrostates were notable by their absence, including the president of Azerbaijan, where the last UN climate summit was held. Trump ally Javier Milei, Argentina’s president, also snubbed the leaders’ meeting in Belém, at the gateway of the Amazon.