“I am here to say to all of you here that Brazil is back in the world,” he mentioned, talking at an occasion alongside governors of Brazilian Amazon states.

A leftist who gained his third time period in workplace final month, Lula mentioned he would search to make Brazil the host of COP30 in 2025 and would intention to place the venue within the Amazon rainforest, reasonably than the extra populous coastal area.

The nation had been set to host the annual U.N. summit in 2019, till Lula’s predecessor – right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro – refused to go forward with it.

“It’s important for it to be in the Amazon. It’s important for the people who defend the Amazon, the people who defend the climate, to closely get to know what the region is,” mentioned Lula, who is because of take workplace in January.

Brazil’s 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro set the stage for all main worldwide environmental agreements since, with the signing of U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is aimed toward stopping excessive local weather change and was the inspiration of the COP conferences.

Lula’s option to make the COP27 summit the main target of his first worldwide go to since being elected to the presidency final month has helped to energise this yr’s talks within the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Hundreds of individuals crowded into the exhibition corridor, chanting “Lula! Lula!” earlier than the occasion started.

Arriving with a light-weight safety element, Lula walked to the sting of the gang, reaching out to shake outstretched fingers. He was guided by governor Helder Barbalho of Para, the Brazilian state with the very best price of deforestation.

“It’s very positive that he’s coming here as president-elect because the current president never came to COPs,” mentioned Carlos Nobre, a local weather scientist on the University of São Paulo.
He mentioned Lula would flip round Brazil’s environmental insurance policies “180 degrees” from these of Bolsonaro.

Lula gained workplace final month over Bolsonaro, who appointed local weather skeptics as ministers and noticed deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest spike to a 15-year excessive.

Lula decreased deforestation to close report lows in his first presidency from 2003 to 2010. For his new administration, he has promised a sweeping plan to revive environmental regulation enforcement that eroded below Bolsonaro and create inexperienced jobs.

On Tuesday, Lula met U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry and China’s chief local weather negotiator Xie Zhenhua. He was anticipated to satisfy EU local weather coverage chief Frans Timmermans on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Lula will meet with civil society and indigenous teams, in addition to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He departs on Friday for Portugal to satisfy authorities authorities there.