Indigenous leaders join COP30 climate summit as it opens with unclear outcome ahead

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A drone view shows a boat, carrying Indigenous representatives from across Latin America, arriving in Belem, ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30),in Brazil, November 9, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BELEM, Brazil - As COP30 opens on Monday for the more than 190 countries participating, it was unclear what exactly they would discuss during the two-week U.N. summit in Brazil’s Amazon city of Belem.

Also unclear is how they’ll handle testy issues, such as a 2023 pledge to wean off polluting energy sources and demand for financing to make that happen. But the biggest question mark was whether countries would aim to negotiate a final agreement – a hard sell in a year of fractious global politics and U.S. efforts to obstruct a transition away from fossil fuels.

Some including Brazil have suggested that countries focus on smaller efforts that don’t need consensus, after years of COP summits that have celebrated lofty promises only to leave many unfulfilled.

“My preference is not to need a COP decision,” COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago said in an interview with Reuters and other media. “If countries have an overwhelming desire for a COP decision, we will certainly think about it and deal with it.

Do Lago noted the rise of China’s importance in the talks, as the United States promises to exit the Paris Agreement in January and the European Union struggles to maintain its ambition amid worries over energy security.

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