Belém, Brazil — President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana has called on world leaders to restore purpose and urgency to the global climate process, urging that cooperation, not extremism, define the next phase of climate action. Delivering a passionate address at the opening of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Belém, Brazil, President Ali said the world must “fix the machinery of cooperation” if it is to deliver on decades of promises made since the creation of the UNFCCC in Rio de Janeiro more than thirty years ago.
“After 30 COPs and countless meetings, many ask what these conferences have achieved. Climate change continues to bring pain and loss,” he told delegates, noting the devastation caused just last week by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Bahamas. “But my answer is simple — what is the alternative? There is still no other forum where every nation can sit as equals to shape the planet’s response.”
He warned that global progress has been hindered by opposing extremes — from climate deniers and profit-driven interests to self-proclaimed environmental advocates whose actions often obstruct practical progress. “Too many who claim to care about the climate are also standing in the way,” he said. “Some irresponsible journalists saturate the public realm with misinformation and sensationalism, while bureaucracies, including within international institutions, have become better at stopping progress than enabling it. These forces create a different kind of climate denial — one that breeds public fatigue and skepticism.”
President Ali said that rather than abandoning the COP process, the world must “fix it” so that good ideas can move forward. He pointed to Brazil’s leadership under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as a powerful example of success, noting that the country achieved the largest-ever reduction in deforestation—an 80 percent drop that prevented five billion tons of carbon emissions. “Being in Brazil can inspire us,” Ali said. “The spirit shown by the COP30 presidency is the right focus, and we support it wholeheartedly.”
Drawing on Guyana’s experience, the president highlighted the nation’s pioneering Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), launched in 2009, which led to one of the world’s largest bilateral climate partnerships with Norway. He recalled that many doubted a small developing country could create a model of growth and conservation, but Guyana had proven them wrong. “Guyana remains a net carbon sink, with our forests storing 19.5 gigatons of carbon,” he said. “Carbon credit revenues flow directly to indigenous peoples and local communities, supporting renewable energy, technology, job creation, and the biggest adaptation investments in our history. We proved a simple principle: when people protecting nature share directly in its value, everyone wins.”
Ali said the global process must now be re-energized around three urgent priorities: accelerating the energy transition, mainstreaming forests in climate action, and expanding adaptation finance. He called for massive investments in renewable energy, hydrogen, and modern grid systems, alongside responsible fossil fuel use during the transition period. “We must recommit to global rules, not slogans,” he urged. “That means establishing a global carbon price, removing fossil fuel subsidies, and ensuring competition based on carbon science, not legacy advantage. Responsible producers must be part of the solution.”
On forests, Ali insisted they must no longer be treated as an afterthought. “Forests have absorbed one-third of global emissions and remain the most viable and cost-effective opportunity for mitigation by 2030,” he said. “They must be mainstream in every single COP agenda.” He praised Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility and cited Guyana’s work with the United Kingdom and nearly 40 countries through the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership, which has produced a forest finance roadmap to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. He also expressed support for the Bridgetown Initiative and urged deeper integration of biodiversity into climate efforts, noting that “healthy biodiversity strengthens ecosystems, stabilizes the climate, and protects economies.”
Ali reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to expand its protected areas to meet the 30-by-30 global target and to lead the newly launched Global Biodiversity Alliance, which unites countries in valuing nature beyond its carbon function. “Many speak glowingly about biodiversity and nature,” he said, “but when a small country steps up to lead, they cannot find the time to join. Let our words be followed by action, not determined by the size or power of our nations.”
Turning to adaptation, President Ali reminded delegates that for millions of people, particularly in the developing world, adaptation is not optional—it is survival. “Even if all mitigation targets are met, millions already live with the consequences of climate change. Investing in resilience protects lives, food systems, and economies. It strengthens stability and peace.”
He concluded on a note of optimism, saying that COP30 could mark a turning point if the global community chooses to embrace collaboration, innovation, and fairness. “If we commit ourselves to collaboration over extremism, if we make our bureaucracies accelerate innovation rather than trap it, and if we unleash affordable financing, then Belém will be remembered as the moment when the world moved from promises to progress.”