The Belem Climate Summit concluded this week with a resounding call for people-centered climate action, as 43 countries and the European Union endorsed a landmark declaration addressing the intersection of environmental and social challenges. The Belem Declaration links climate change to worsening hunger and poverty, urging nations to prioritize vulnerable communities through social protections and sustainable investments.
As host of COP30 in 2025, Brazil positioned the summit as a critical precursor to next year's UN climate talks. The declaration aligns with new global climate finance targets, including a push for developed nations to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries by 2035 through public and private funding.
China emerged as a focal point, announcing its first economy-wide greenhouse gas reduction target for 2035. The pledge to cut emissions 7-10% below peak levels within five years of reaching maximum output signals what Environment Minister Huang Runqiu called "one of the world's most technically ambitious transitions." A newly released white paper details China's renewable energy expansion, which now accounts for over 50% of global wind and solar capacity installations.
"China's bilateral climate partnerships with the EU, UK, and Brazil are becoming the scaffolding of multilateral action," noted climate policy analyst Dr. Priya Mehta. The BASIC bloc (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) is increasingly driving developing-world climate strategies, even as debates continue over historical emissions responsibilities.
With 2024 projected to break heat records, the summit's outcomes highlight growing consensus that climate solutions must simultaneously address energy transitions and social equity – a balance China's dual focus on industrial decarbonization and South-South cooperation aims to model.
