The Amazon climate summit in Belem is defined by a stark divide: on one side, billions of dollars are being pledged for trees, while on the other, there is a resounding silence from the world’s top polluters.
The hopeful side is led by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. His “Tropical Forests Forever Facility” has secured $5.5 billion in pledges, including $3 billion from Norway. This new fund will pay 74 nations to halt deforestation, using a novel loan-based system to make preservation profitable.
This financial plan also includes a landmark provision, dedicating 20 percent of its funds to Indigenous peoples, the long-time stewards of the Amazon. It represents a new, finance-driven, and socially-just approach to conservation.
But this optimism is colliding with a wall of political indifference. The leaders of the United States, China, and India—the three largest greenhouse gas emitters—were all absent from the preliminary gathering.
This snub has drawn the fury of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who warned of “deadly negligence” and “moral failure.” The summit has become a test of whether a coalition of medium-sized, committed nations can drive climate action without the world’s superpowers.