Belém 2025 Climate Summit: The Amazon at the Heart of Global Action
The Brazilian city of Belém, located at the gateway to the Amazon rainforest, will become the global epicenter for climate action on November 6 and 7, 2025. This pre-COP30 meeting will gather heads of state, scientists, indigenous leaders, businesspeople, and environmental activists with a common goal: to define strategies to curb the climate crisis and protect one of the planet’s most valuable ecosystems.
A decisive meeting ahead of COP30
The Belém Climate Summit will serve as a prelude to COP30, the annual United Nations climate conference, which will also be held in the same city at the end of 2025. This dual event marks a milestone for Brazil, home to most of the Amazon, responsible for absorbing around 10% of the planet’s carbon dioxide.
The summit aims to lay the groundwork for agreements to be discussed at COP30, focusing on climate justice, a just energy transition, and the preservation of Amazonian biodiversity.
The context: an Amazon at risk
In recent years, the Amazon region has suffered alarming increases in deforestation and wildfires. According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), deforestation fell by 11% in 2025 compared to the previous year, thanks to stricter government policies. However, experts warn the biome could reach a “point of no return” if degradation continues.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has stated that the Belém summit represents “a historic opportunity to show that the Amazon can be the heart of a sustainable development model.”
Key topics to be discussed in Belém
- Energy transition and gradual phasing out of fossil fuels
Amazonian countries will present proposals to accelerate renewable energy adoption to reduce dependence on oil and gas without affecting regional economic development. - Climate finance and ecological justice
Industrialized countries will be called upon to meet their funding commitments to the Global South. One of the most anticipated debates will focus on a loss and damage compensation fund for climate change impacts. - Protection of indigenous peoples and traditional communities
Leaders from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador will participate in dialogue tables to defend their role as forest guardians. A joint declaration is expected to strengthen their participation in climate decision-making. - Innovation, technology, and urban sustainability
Belém aims to position itself as a model of a sustainable Amazonian city, promoting projects in electric mobility, waste management, and urban solar energy.
Brazil as a regional climate leader
Through this summit, Brazil seeks to reaffirm its leadership in environmental policy. Since returning to power in 2023, Lula has pushed a green agenda focused on:
- Recovery of degraded areas.
- Control of illegal mining.
- Strengthening IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment).
- International cooperation with other Amazonian countries.
Additionally, Brazil has signed new agreements with the European Union and the Amazon Pact to channel investments toward bioeconomy, reforestation, and clean energy projects.
An opportunity for the Global South
Choosing Belém as the Climate Summit host is no coincidence. It acknowledges the crucial role of the Global South in the climate fight. While industrialized countries hold most historic emissions, Southern Hemisphere nations are the most vulnerable to climate change effects.
The Belém event seeks to balance voices in the climate debate, promoting cooperation based on equity and respect for ecosystems.
Expectations and international participation
More than 10,000 representatives from governments, companies, universities, and social organizations are expected. Confirmed participants include delegations from the UN, the World Bank, OECD, FAO, and regional bodies such as OTCA (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization).
Amazonian countries — Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela — will present a Common Amazon Agenda, a document with conservation, restoration, and sustainable development commitments to be taken to COP30.
The symbolic importance of Belém
Belém, capital of Pará state, is a city of contrasts: modernity and tradition, jungle and urbanism. Its selection as host has strong environmental and social symbolism, representing the intersection of urban life and nature.
During the summit, cultural activities, green innovation exhibitions, and educational meetings with local youth will take place under the slogan:
“The future of the planet begins in the Amazon.”
Expert opinions
For Brazilian climatologist Luciana Gatti of INPE, “this summit is crucial for defining real mitigation strategies. Promises are no longer enough; we need measurable and binding mechanisms.”
Environment Minister Marina Silva added that Brazil “is ready to lead a new climate paradigm where the Amazon stands for life and hope.”
Conclusion: Belém, the green heart of the world
The Belém Climate Summit 2025 represents much more than a political meeting: it is a call for global action from the heart of the world’s largest forest. If the commitments made here translate into concrete policies, the world could take a decisive step toward a fairer, greener, and more sustainable future.
