Lula will present environmental advances at COP31 in Turkey

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will bring next week to the city of Antalya, Turkey, figures that show Brazil’s advances in combating deforestation and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The Eurasian country will host the 31st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP31), from 9 to 20 November.

Lula will participate in the Leaders’ Summit, a segment of the COP that brings together the heads of state of the participating countries, on the 11th and 12th.

The Brazilian president is expected to speak twice. The first speech, during the opening ceremony, will be reserved for a few heads of state.

In addition to the opening table, on November 11, at noon, Lula should also speak in the part of the conference open to all participating countries. This second speech will be shorter, about three minutes long, and should take place around 17h.

For members of Itamaraty, this is a sign of Brazil’s prestige on the environmental agenda. In addition to having hosted the last COP, in Belém, Brazil has positive numbers to present. And that should be the tone of Lula’s first speech in Antalya.

Between the two speeches, Lula is expected to participate in a meeting of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), with Norway, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, which will officialize the contribution of US $ 500 million to the TFFF.

Positive Numbers

The reduction of deforestation in the Amazon and the Cerrado and the savings of R$ 1.16 trillion obtained with environmental preservation should be mentioned by the president.

In addition, the Brazilian energy matrix reached 49.5% from renewable sources in 2025, according to data from the National Energy Balance (BEN). The global average is 14.5%.

In relation to the electricity matrix, which includes only the generation of electricity, Brazil exceeds 80% of renewable sources, with emphasis on hydroelectric power plants, with 51.2%.

Lula is also expected to present a 9% reduction in net CO2 emissions and data on Brazil’s efforts to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets.

The country’s NDC predicts a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 59% to 67% by 2035.

Bilateral meetings

According to Itamaraty, more than 15 leaders from other countries requested a bilateral agenda with President Lula. The confirmation of these meetings, however, will depend on the agenda of commitments at COP31. Each request is being reviewed by the president's team.

The trend is that these meetings, if they occur, are scheduled for the morning of Thursday (12), in Turkey time. One of the likely meetings is with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, host of this year’s conference.

Lula is due to leave Brasilia for Turkey on Monday morning and arrive in Antalya in the early hours of the 10th.

After participating in COP31 and possible bilateral meetings, Lula will leave the Eurasian country for the Philippines, to participate in the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

 

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