Lula at COP30: "Earth Can No Longer Sustain Intensive Fossil-Fuel Use" — Urges Rapid Shift to Clean Energy

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned at a summit in the Brazilian Amazon that the planet can no longer sustain humanity's heavy reliance on fossil fuels and that the fight against climate change could be lost without a rapid transition to cleaner energy.

The left-wing leader spoke in Belém ahead of COP30, urging nations to begin weaning themselves off coal, oil and gas — the primary drivers of greenhouse-gas emissions. "Earth can no longer sustain the development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels that has prevailed over the past 200 years," he said.

Signs of dangerous warming are unmistakable: the past decade is the hottest on record and has seen stronger hurricanes, more intense heatwaves and expanding wildfires. Lula warned that how the world answers the urgent question of energy's future will determine "success or failure in the battle against climate change."

Roadmap and political tensions

Two years after nations agreed to "transition away from fossil fuels," Brazil is seeking a clear roadmap toward this goal but has encountered resistance. Mexico's environment secretary, Alicia Bárcena, told AFP: "Setting a specific date for the elimination of fossil fuels is always problematic because there are still many oil-producing countries. It is very difficult to get everyone to agree to eliminate them by 2030, for example. But it can be proposed as a long-term goal."

Observers also noted the political tension of Lula chairing talks shortly after his government approved new oil drilling in the Amazon region.

Luxury flight tax

A coalition including France, Spain and Kenya proposed a new tax on luxury air travel, arguing that premium passengers — who tend to have higher carbon footprints — should pay more to help fund climate action. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, "It is only fair that those who have more and pollute more should pay their fair share." The aviation industry, which accounts for roughly 2.5% of global carbon emissions, is expected to resist the measure.

Forest fund and finance concerns

Brazil secured more than $5 billion in pledges for a fund to protect tropical forests and reward countries for avoiding deforestation, a key mechanism for preserving carbon sinks. Yet hundreds of NGOs representing women, Indigenous peoples, workers and smallholder farmers criticized wealthy countries for failing to follow through on commitments to phase out fossil fuels and provide climate finance that reaches vulnerable communities.

Jacobo Ocharán of Climate Action Network International said: "The national plans of rich countries are not talking at all about a commitment they made two years ago... to move away from this brutal and cannibalistic fossil fuel economy."

UN perspective and outlook

UN climate chief Simon Stiell argued that multilateral cooperation since the Paris Agreement has already reduced the most extreme warming projections. "Without that act of collective courage, we would still be heading for an impossible future of unchecked heating, of up to five degrees," he said. "Because of it, the curve has bent below 3C — still perilous, but proof that climate cooperation works."

Despite progress, the world remains off track to keep end-of-century warming below 1.5°C compared with pre-industrial levels. Negotiators at COP30 face the challenge of converting high-level pledges into concrete roadmaps, timelines and financing mechanisms to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels and protect vulnerable communities.