US key to COP30 even after Trump's pullout from Paris Agreement: Brazil

New Delhi: The United States remains central to climate negotiations and can make a crucial contribution to the preparation and execution of COP30, even after its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Brazil has said as it prepares to host this year's UN climate conference in Belém.

COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago told journalists during an online briefing that there is no intention of ignoring the US, even if the Trump administration does not participate in climate negotiations.

"No, there is no idea of ignoring the US because the US is the key country for this exercise. The US government may limit its participation, but the US as a country, as a place with such amazing technology and innovation, can contribute in a very important way to the preparation of COP30 (and) during COP30. So, the US is a central country for these discussions and solutions," Correa do Lago said in response to a question from PTI.

Brazil's Environment and Climate Minister Marina Silva told journalists during her visit to India last week that the US, being the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter and a major economic and technological power, "does influence" Brazil’s COP30 goals "to some extent".

"We cannot be denialists to not acknowledge that," she said.

However, she stressed that this would not deter Brazil's climate efforts. "On the contrary, we will strengthen climate action and fight inequality while pushing for stronger means of implementation." Since returning to the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement and exited a fund where developed nations contribute money to compensate developing countries for losses and damages due to climate change.

The US has also pulled out of the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP), a multilateral initiative launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, under which developed countries help coal-dependent developing nations transition to renewable energy.

Correa do Lago said COP30 will aim to protect and strengthen multilateralism and expand the institutional legacy built over the past three decades.

He said Brazil will try to bridge the gap between the abstraction of negotiations and COP decisions and their real-life impact, "because sometimes there is a certain perception that these things don't bring the results that are necessary".

COP30 will also aim to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement through structural solutions that extend beyond the multilateral climate regime. This includes leveraging various institutions and frameworks to better utilize global governance and financial architecture, he said.

In an official letter outlining COP30's priorities, Correa do Lago said on Monday that the conference will be the first to take place "undeniably at the epicenter of the climate crisis", stressing that 2024 was the warmest year on record globally and the first calendar year with an average global temperature 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"In view of climate urgency, we need a new era beyond negotiating talks: we must help put into practice what we have agreed," the COP30 president said.

He urged countries to uphold multilateralism and make COP30 the moment "we turn the game around".

Asking nations to align their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) or climate action plans with the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement, he said, "Lack of ambition will be judged as lack of leadership." COP30 comes at a time when geopolitical issues such as wars, trade disputes, the US exit from the Paris Agreement, and developed countries' failure to deliver climate finance have weakened trust among nations and made climate action more difficult.