“We have decided to join the founding countries of this movement that will create the fund for the protection of the tropical forest. We will make a financial contribution of one million euros to kickstart this initiative,” emphasized the Prime Minister on the sidelines of the first day of the leaders’ summit preceding the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belém.
“It is with great enthusiasm and with the sense that we can make a decisive contribution for the future of humanity, for all our futures, aware that everything we do in favor of biodiversity preservation, ecosystem balance, and environmental equilibrium, anywhere on the planet, will have repercussions on our lives,” Luis Montenegro told journalists.
The Prime Minister praised the fact that Portugal is connected from the beginning to the Tropical Forests Fund, a project Montenegro hopes “will be implemented and can correspond to greater preservation capacity in the future.”
“So that we all can live better and, above all, so that we can leave to those who will be here after us, a sustainable world with all the conditions for economic and social development,” he emphasized.
This afternoon, during the summit, Brazilian President Lula da Silva will launch the global fund for the protection of tropical forests, aiming to end the concept of “donation” and promote investments and financing to help maintain the jungles.
Brazil has already announced approximately one billion euros to start the project. The proposal led by Brazil aims to remunerate countries for conserving tropical forests, reserving 20% for Indigenous peoples and traditional communities.
When asked about the European Union’s political agreement to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% by 2040, compared to 1990, despite diluting objectives with measures granting greater flexibility to member states, Luis Montenegro stated that Portugal had a significant boost among European countries for this goal to be agreed upon.
“But I want to say that Portugal, beyond this European position, has indeed a lot of work to present individually,” stressed the Portuguese government leader.
Specifically, Montenegro recalled the “huge effort in renewable energy production,” noting that Portugal concluded 2024 “with 71% of energy produced from renewable sources.”
The Brazilian Amazon city of Belém will host around 60 heads of state and government from today until Friday to discuss combating climate change and demonstrating their willingness to act.
The Climate Summit convened by Brazil, preceding COP30, will gather delegations from 143 countries, with slightly more than a third led by their respective national leaders, with the confirmed absence of the top three leaders of the world’s most polluting countries – China, the United States, and India.
