Overview
- Roughly 50,000 participants from more than 190 countries convened, with the United States declining to send a high‑level delegation after announcing withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and with several major leaders absent, including India’s Narendra Modi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
- Lula opened the summit calling climate change a present‑day tragedy, urging a defeat of denialism and proposing a UN Climate Council to strengthen global governance.
- Italy said its climate finance rose to about €3.4–3.44 billion in 2024, split between public resources and mobilized private funds, though analysts flagged a shift toward loans over grants and noted unfulfilled pledges to the Green Climate Fund and the loss‑and‑damage fund.
- New initiatives featured the Belém 4X pledge to quadruple sustainable fuels use by 2035, backed by Brazil, Italy and Japan with support from India, even as more than 100 scientists warned that unchecked biofuel expansion could raise emissions and harm ecosystems and food security.
- Fifty‑three countries endorsed the Tropical Forests Forever Facility to be housed at the World Bank with a $125 billion target and early commitments from Brazil, France, Norway, Indonesia and others, while separate reports highlighted logistical inconsistencies at the venue, including reliance on diesel generators and a formal agenda that left the fossil‑fuel transition to an action track.