US Absence Hurt Fossil Fuel Exit Push at COP30, Says Brazil’s Silva
The country’s environment minister said the “gravitational pull” of the US helped undermine a key proposal at the UN climate talks.
Marina Silva, Brazil's environment minister, during the COP30 Leaders Summit in Belém, Brazil, on Nov. 6, 2025.
Photographer: Dado Galdieri/BloombergFor Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva, a former rubber tapper from the Amazon rainforest, the now-concluded COP30 summit felt personal: It was the first time the annual United Nations climate talks took place in her home region. And with the backing of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, she succeeded in thrusting fossil fuels — the main driver of global warming — to the top of the agenda.
Silva and Lula called for the creation of a road map to wean the world off oil, gas and coal. The idea gained momentum, winning the support of more than 80 countries, civil society groups and much of the scientific community. But it faced stiff opposition from Arab states and Russia and failed to make it into the final agreement, adopted at the end of the summit Saturday.