Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned world leaders on Wednesday that geopolitical rivalries, armed conflicts and inflation were undermining international efforts to combat climate change, urging governments to place environmental protection above competing political and economic interests.
Addressing the opening session of the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Lula expressed concern that climate action had slipped down the international agenda as major powers increasingly focused on military conflicts, trade disputes and economic pressures.
“Climate change disappeared from the speeches and documents of global leaders at the G7 and G20 meetings, forums that bring together the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters. This concern turned into silence,” Lula said.
The Brazilian president criticised the shift in global priorities, warning that governments were devoting greater attention to immediate geopolitical disputes than to the long-term consequences of environmental degradation.
“We started talking more about weapons and tariffs than the survival of future generations,” he told the summit.
Lula said international momentum on climate action had weakened since COP30, held in Belem, Brazil, where Indigenous communities and forest defenders participated in unprecedented numbers.
He expressed disappointment that the political commitment demonstrated during the previous summit had not translated into sustained international attention to environmental protection.
The Brazilian leader also criticised what he described as a growing tendency among some governments to regard the transition to clean energy as a “hurdle to security and the prosperity of nations.”
He warned that such attitudes risked slowing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.
Acknowledging the immediate challenges posed by wars, inflation and economic instability, Lula said governments were finding it increasingly difficult to prioritise long-term environmental threats.
However, he insisted that short-term political and economic pressures could not justify abandoning international climate commitments.
“The planet cannot be at the mercy of hegemonic struggles,” Lula declared.
His remarks highlighted concerns over weakening international cooperation on climate change at a time when governments face mounting pressure to reconcile environmental commitments with economic and security priorities.