Roughly 50,000 people are in Belém, Brazil, today. They have come to a global climate change summit. Among those present are world leaders, scientists, business leaders, activists, and members of native tribes. It is the 30th annual “Conference of the Parties” (COP30) summit. It has come back to the country that first hosted it in 1995. It comes as calls for urgent action to deal with the crisis grow louder. It is also taking place as key players appear less willing to try and tackle the problem. Top leaders from China, India, Russia, and the US aren’t coming to the summit. These countries are big greenhouse gas emitters. President Trump openly dismisses climate crisis concerns. His predecessor, Joe Biden, had an opposite view. Trump calls the climate crisis "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” Trump's remarks triggered angry responses from other leaders. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Trump was “against humanity.” Some are more skeptical about the value of these summits. But those who support COP say they have led to major agreements with concrete steps to deal with the problem. The snag has been getting countries to stick to the plan. The 109 countries that drew up climate action plans have made progress. But few if any are meeting their goals. The biggest goal is to hold the rise in Earth's average temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. That, some scientists say, may be slipping out of reach. The goals for this year's meeting include raising $1.3 trillion each year to support green programs in developing countries, making crops more climate resilient, and pushing for Indigenous land rights. Reflect: What’s something you think people today could do to help protect the planet for future generations?
