Brazil kicks off COP30 climate events in year of distractions

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad speaks next to Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Brazil's COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago during the ministerial preparatory meeting (Pre-COP30), ahead of the COP30 Climate Summit, in Brasilia, Brazil October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Mateus Bonomi/File Photo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming. That may be tough in a year marked by economic upheaval and cancelled U.S. commitments.

Business leaders meeting in Sao Paulo are pushing for stronger policies for financing the energy transition, with an open letter on Monday asking governments “urgently” for incentives to adopt renewable energy in lieu of fossil fuels.