Marina Silva

BELEM, Brazil – Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva fought back tears as global diplomats applauded her for several minutes in the closing plenary of the COP30 summit. “We’ve made progress, albeit modestly,” she told delegates. … It was a moment of catharsis for the Brazilian hosts in a tense hall where several nations vented frustration with a deal that failed to mention fossil fuels – even as they cheered more funds for developing nations adapting to climate change. Despite the bittersweet outcome, COP30 capped years of work by the environment minister and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to restore Brazil’s leadership on global climate policy. Back in Brasilia, a harsher political reality looms. Congress has been pushing to dismantle much of the country’s environmental permitting system. Organized crime in the Amazon is also a problem, and people seeking to clear forest acres have found new ways to infiltrate and thwart groups touting sustainable development.