November 13, New Delhi: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to put environmental protection at the center of his country's agenda at COP31, urging wealthy nations to step up and honor their climate commitments.
President Lula was warmly applauded for bringing Amazon deforestation to its lowest level in nearly 40 years and creating a Ministry of Indigenous Peoples in 2023. He called on developed countries, including the United States, France, Germany and Portugal, to join Brazil in protecting the environment, saying nations that once imposed environmental rules on others must now contribute to the collective effort.